House passes funding bill to avert government shutdown

The House passed a short-term funding bill Tuesday that would avert a government shutdown Saturday, a major victory for new Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who faced competing demands from different factions in his party. The bill would fund some government departments until mid-January and the rest through early February. It does not include spending cuts or policy changes that Republican hard-liners sought. A shutdown would leave legions of federal employees without pay just before the Thanksgiving holiday.