US Congress averts homeland security shutdown
The House was able to finally pull together and passed the seven-day measure by a vote of 357 to 60.
Washington (AFP) - In a last-gasp move, feuding US lawmakers avoided a Department of Homeland Security shutdown, but funded the agency only until March 6, forcing Congress to revisit the issue next week.
House and Senate members were forced to scramble to prevent the premier agency securing the United States against terror threats from running out of money at midnight, after earlier attempts to secure longer periods of funding failed spectacularly.
The House was able to finally pull together and passed the seven-day measure by a vote of 357 to 60, with just two hours to spare, after the Senate passed it by voice vote.
It now goes to the White House, which said President Barack Obama would sign a temporary measure despite his preference for full DHS funding through the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
