Congress passes bill to avert shutdown as coronavirus talks drag into weekend

Congress passed a days-long stopgap bill on Friday, hours before the government was scheduled to shut down, as negotiations over another coronavirus stimulus bill stretched into the weekend.

The legislation, which passed the Senate in a voice vote, extends the government funding deadline from Dec. 18 to the end of Dec. 20, giving negotiators more time to finish a sweeping deal to provide year-end coronavirus relief and fund the government through Oct. 1.

The House already passed the two-day continuing resolution (CR), meaning it now goes to President Trump’s desk. He’ll need to sign it before midnight in order to prevent a temporary, middle-of-the-night lapse in government funding.