The US Senate has passed a short-term spending bill to keep the federal government open. The vote was 90 to 6. The bill now goes to the House.
The Senate spending bill would fund the US government from Oct. 1 through Dec. 11. It aims to prevent a shutdown before the November midterm elections.
The vote was a setback for some of President Donald Trump’s key demands. Trump had urged lawmakers to add funds for the war in Iran. He also wanted parts of a new voter ID plan added to the bill.
Senate leaders did not include those requests.
The bill also does not include a delay in new hemp rules. The White House had asked for the delay. It would have helped firms that make hemp goods with small levels of drug chemicals.
Some conservative senators opposed the delay. They won support to remove it from the bill.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins backed the measure. She said a shutdown would hurt federal workers and key programs.
Collins is also facing a close race for re election in Maine. Her support gave the bill a key boost as the Senate worked to avoid a shutdown.
The spending bill will now move to the House. House members are expected to review it when they return on Aug. 31.
The House will decide if it can pass the bill in its current form. Any change could send the measure back to the Senate.
The bill also blocks a White House plan tied to federal grants. The plan could have allowed the government to send grant money only to states that support Republican policies.
Democrats pushed to stop that plan.
Sen. Patty Murray said she and other Democrats worked hard to add the rule. She said it would stop the Office of Management and Budget from using what she called a harmful new grants policy.
The bill also limits a funding path for the Border Patrol. It stops the agency from getting more money through a special funding gap.
The bill is not fully against Trump’s goals. It also includes some requests from the White House.
Several projects can move ahead during the short funding period. Some are tied to military equipment.
Those funds may help keep key work on track while Congress works on full spending bills for the new fiscal year.
Still, the Senate vote shows that some Republican lawmakers are not ready to back all of Trump’s requests.
Republican leaders have said they do not have enough votes to pass the new voting limits that Trump wants. That made it hard to add the plan to the spending bill.
The Senate also rejected the push for new voting rules.
The latest vote marks a calmer path than past budget fights.
Last fall, Congress faced a record federal shutdown. The dispute caused major problems for federal workers and public services.
The Department of Homeland Security also faced a shorter shutdown this spring.
Lawmakers now hope to avoid another long fight.
The Senate spending bill gives Congress more time to work on full year funding plans. It also gives the House a chance to review the measure before the current funding period ends.
For now, the main goal is simple. Congress wants to keep the government open.
The next test will come in the House. If House members approve the bill, the government could avoid another shutdown fight at the start of the new fiscal year.
If the House seeks major changes, however, the spending battle could grow again.
