Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday in favor of passing an $854 billion spending bill to fund some of the government's largest departments and avoid a shutdown.
The chamber voted 93-7 to approve funding for the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, and Education. The package included a stopgap bill to fund the government through Dec. 7, avoiding a shutdown that would have started Oct. 1.