Interim Funding of Government to Evade Shutdown

The House of Representative by 335 to 91 (231 Republicans and 104 Democrats voted for the measure, while six Republicans and 85 Democrats voted against it) vote extended the federal government funding for two weeks. The March 1, 2011, House vote was followed by March 2, 2011, Senate vote (91-9, five Republicans and four Democrats voted against the measure) to avert a government shutdown. This gives a two-week lease for the Republican and Democratic negotiators to hammer out an agreement to keep the federal government running beyond the new expiry date of March 18, 2011. The U.S. Senate voted on the measure on March 2, 2011 that would keep running the federal government for two weeks beyond March4, 2011. The measure cuts $4 billion in spending for two weeks.