On Tuesday, the House passed a funding bill to prevent the government from being shut down later in the month. The measure is now going to the Senate.

To avoid any lapses in federal funding, Congress has until February 18th. House approves the bill to keep government operating at its current level until March 11.

The vote was passed with a margin of 272-162.

On Tuesday night, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated that he will vote on the spending plan in time to meet the February 18 deadline.

Recent years have seen Congress bounce back and forth between temporary, unrelated legislation, in an attempt to fund the government. Insufficient funding can cause furloughs and disrupt the government’s services.

The three-week extension of funding will allow the Appropriators enough time to create a spending plan for the next fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, and they hope it does. The Feb. 18 deadline was missed and they failed to reach a long-term agreement.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn) stated Monday that “We are very close to reaching the framework government funding agreement”, but she said they would need more time in order to finish the legislation fully.”

House members are expected to depart Washington on Wednesday following votes, and will not return to Washington until after Presidents Day.

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