Congress moving swiftly to fund government and avert shutdown before heading home to campaign

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is moving swiftly to fund federal agencies and avoid a government shutdown. The House and Senate are expected Wednesday to give approval to a bill that would fund the government into December and avoid a federal shutdown just weeks before the Nov. 5 election. The stopgap measure generally funds agencies at current levels through Dec. 20, but an extra $231 million was included to bolster the Secret Service after the two assassination attempts against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Speaker Mike Johnson is touting the measure as doing only what’s absolutely necessary in a bid to win over conservatives.