US Congress passes funding bill to reopen government after hours-long shutdown
WASHINGTON: The US Congress passed a crucial federal spending bill Friday after hours of delay, sending the measure for President Donald Trump's signature to end the nation's second government shutdown in three weeks. The House voted 240 to 186 in support of a bipartisan package that extends funding until March 23, and which will reopen government hours after a conservative senator forced Congress to miss a midnight deadline, sparking the shutdown. Trump supports the measure and is expected to sign it into law on Friday, ending a serious and embarrassing drama on Capitol Hill over federal spending. House Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, acknowledged the perversity of the "entirely needless" shutdown, which may enter the history books as just a blip but speaks volumes about the political gridlock that defines Washington. "A fifth CR, while one party controls all levels of government, shows the Republicans' inability to govern," said Ho