Lawmakers vote to extend government funding until mid-February.
WASHINGTON - Both chambers of Congress passed a bill to fund the government through Feb. 18.
The Senate voted late Thursday to pass the short-term measure that the House approved hours earlier.
This will now give lawmakers 11 more weeks to work on a longer-term funding plan to cover the entire fiscal year.
The vote was almost entirely along party lines and if it was not extended, there would have been a partial government shutdown.
A shutdown would have furloughed hundreds of nonessential federal employees, such as clerks, custodial staff, park rangers and white-collar managers, forcing them to take time off without pay.
Essential functions such as the military, law enforcement and air traffic control would have continued.
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