Congress passes bill to avert a shutdown before the election, sending it to Biden

Congress overwhelmingly passed a funding bill Wednesday to avert a government shutdown next week after House Republicans removed a proposal demanded by Donald Trump that would require Americans nationwide to show proof of citizenship to register to vote.

The Senate voted 78-18 Wednesday evening, shortly after the House passed the same measure on a 341-82 vote, with all opposition in both chambers coming from Republicans.

House Republican leaders, facing defections within their ranks, relied heavily on Democratic votes to approve the short-term measure. It now heads to President Joe Biden, who plans to sign it well before the Tuesday shutdown deadline. Both chambers are set to adjourn this week for a lengthy recess and will not return to Washington until after the Nov. 5 election.

The package, negotiated by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and top Democrats, would fund the government at current levels through Dec. 20, setting up another spending fight right before the holidays. It would also provide $231 million in additional money for the Secret Service, including for operations related to the presidential campaign, in the wake of two apparent attempts to assassinate Trump.