Congress races to pass spending bill as partial shutdown looms

The House of Representatives has approved a spending package that will fund the US government through September.

It is the first step in a race by legislators in the US Congress to beat a midnight deadline that would trigger a partial shutdown of the US government.

The final vote was 286 to 134, narrowly above the two-thirds majority needed. All but 23 Democrats backed the legislation, while 112 Republicans voted no.

The package now moves to the Democrat-controlled Senate, where it is expected to have sufficient support to pass Friday evening.

The $1.2tn (£951bn) legislation was the result of bipartisan negotiations and funds a broad swath of federal services through October, including a 3% increase in US defence funding.

The vote was yet another example of the difficulties the narrow Republican majority in the House of Representatives has had in approving new spending legislation since taking control of the chamber last year.

A small but vocal group of conservatives has opposed proposed increases in government spending and called for new legislation that would include US immigration law changes aimed at addressing a surge of undocumented migrants at the US southern border.

"No Republican in the House of Representatives in good conscience can vote for this bill," said Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia during Friday debate on the House package.

"It is a complete departure of all our principles."

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Ms Greene has since then filed a motion to force an election for a new House Speaker and replace Mike Johnson of Louisiana.

Hard-line Republicans used the same tactic last year to oust the then-speaker, Kevin McCarthy, over another budget disagreement. The move caused Congress to spiral into disarray for weeks, as Republicans sought a new leader to lead the House.

The Georgia congresswoman has taken the first procedural step to follow through on her threat to oust the replacement that Republicans eventually landed on - Mr Johnson.

Ms Greene called the motion a "warning and a pink slip" while speaking to reporters on Friday, as she has allowed a vote on it to be delayed until next month. She added that she respects the chamber and does not wish to "throw the House into chaos".

But her latest gambit could setup another bitter Republican leadership battle in the chamber just months before November's US elections.

Meanwhile, the House budget vote on Friday continues the trend in recent government-funding fights of Democrats joining some Republicans to approve legislation to avert a shutdown.

Unlike recent votes, however, a majority of House Republicans opposed a funding bill negotiated by their own party.

If the Senate fails to approve the legislation, operational funding would cease for some parts of the US government, although the full impact would not be felt until the new work week begins on Monday.