Senate sends Obama temporary funding bill to avert shutdown

[December 17, 2015]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Wednesday passed and sent to President Barack Obama emergency legislation to fund the government beyond midnight when existing money expires.

By voice vote, the Senate passed a bill approved earlier on Wednesday by the House of Representatives that extends the temporary appropriations through Dec. 22.

The measure gives Congress more time to finish a $1.15 trillion bill to pay for federal programs through September 2016.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Eric Beech)

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