The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a stopgap one-week funding bill, a move intended to give lawmakers more time to pass a bill to fully fund the federal government through its fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2023.
The stopgap measure, known as a "continuing resolution," is needed to avert a partial shutdown of federal agencies that would otherwise begin on Saturday.
The temporary bill would give Congress another week to reach a compromise.
Governmental departments and other federal buildings, but also national parks, some museums and other organizations would be impacted, forcing the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
A winter 2018-2019 shutdown, the longest in US history, even affected baggage screening at airports.
Despite strong partisan divisions, most elected officials in both the Democratic and Republican parties do not want a shutdown, which risks creating chaos before the holidays.
The two parties are currently unable to agree on a final budget for the fiscal year 2023.
