Senate passes spending bill to avoid government shutdown The US has narrowly avoided a government shutdown after the Senate approved a temporary funding measure, ensuring government operations will continue for the next six months. The stopgap funding bill passed in the Senate 54-46, as two Democrats joined all but one Republican senator in voting yes. President Donald Trump must now sign it into law before the Friday midnight deadline. The key vote came earlier when some Senate Democrats, after fierce debate, allowed the measure to pass a procedural hurdle. The Senate minority leader, Democrat...