A continuing resolution passed by Congress Sept. 30 narrowly avoided a shutdown of the U.S. government, keeping agencies funded through early December. The bill, which funds the federal government at fiscal year 2015 levels through Dec. 11, passed the Senate on a 78-20 vote and then the House on a 277-151 vote. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law late Sept. 30, just hours before the fiscal year ended. The resolution avoided a federal government shutdown, which would have taken place Oct. 1, the beginning of the 2016 fiscal year. The threat of a shutdown loomed over the government for much of September as Congress debated whether to include provisions in a short-term spending bill that would defund Planned Parenthood.
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