The House approves a temporary funding measure to avert a government shutdown, forwarding it to the Senate for consideration.

• A temporary government funding bill was passed by the House to prevent a shutdown this month.
• To prevent a federal funding lapse, the Senate intends to approve the plan by February 18.
• Lawmakers could have enough time to create a long-term budget plan with the bill's extension of funding until March 11.

On Tuesday, the House passed a funding bill to prevent a government shutdown this month, which was then sent to the Senate for consideration.

The House-approved bill will keep the government funded until March 11, but Congress must act by Feb. 18 to prevent a funding lapse.

It passed by a 272-162 margin.

On Tuesday, Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, announced his intention to vote on the spending plan before the February 18th deadline.

In recent years, Congress has frequently failed to pass full-year appropriations bills, resorting to last-minute, short-term legislative measures to keep the government operational. This can result in funding gaps, which can lead to federal worker furloughs and disruptions to government services and the economy.

The three-week funding extension is hoped by appropriators to provide them with enough time to create a spending plan that will last until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. However, they were unable to reach a long-term agreement before the Feb. 18 deadline.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., stated on Monday that while we are near to finalizing a government funding agreement, more time is required to complete the legislation in its entirety.

Members of the House are planning to depart from Washington following votes on Wednesday and do not intend to return until after Presidents' Day.