The bill, would extend funding for some agencies and programs at current levels until Jan. 19, 2024, and others through February 2.

Washington: The US House has passed a stopgap bill just days ahead of a government shutdown deadline, sending it to the Senate for consideration. The lower chamber on Tuesday approved the short-term funding measure in a 336-95 vote, with Republican conservatives opposing the bill and Democrats joining Republicans to approve the measure, Xinhua news agency reported.

To avert a government shutdown during the pre-holiday period, the House initially extended government funding for fiscal year 2023 until November 17, providing additional time for Congress to pass individual appropriations bills. However, faced with another impending deadline, leaders in both the House and Senate agreed on the necessity of another short-term extension, known as a continuing resolution (CR), according to Fox News.

The successful passage of the bill marks a significant legislative test for Speaker Mike Johnson, who assumed the role less than a month ago following the removal of ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Despite more Democrats supporting the bill than Republicans, Johnson secured a win by gaining majority support from his GOP Conference for the CR.

The bill, proposed by Johnson, introduces two separate deadlines for funding different government sectors, aiming to establish more focused objectives. It sets a deadline of January 19 for addressing appropriations bills related to military construction and Veterans Affairs, agriculture, energy and water, transportation, and housing and urban development.

The bill, would extend funding for some agencies and programs at current levels until Jan. 19, 2024, and others through February 2.

The legislation marks an early success for Mike Johnson, who was elected House speaker in late October following three weeks of chaos as Republicans struggled to find a replacement after the historical ouster of Kevin McCarthy.

The bill now heads to the Senate, which is expected to pass the continuing resolution as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, a White House official said Tuesday that President Joe Biden is prepared to sign the House-approved government funding bill if it is passed by the Senate.”If it passes the Senate, the President will sign this continuing resolution that maintains current funding levels and has no harmful policy riders,” CNN reported the official as saying.