House approves another short-term extension to avoid a shutdown. Senators are up next to vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed another short-term spending measure that would keep one set of federal agencies operating through March 8, 2024, and another set through March 22. The legislation approved Thursday (Feb. 29, 2024) will allow Congress to avoid a shutdown for parts of the federal government set to kick in Saturday (March 2, 2024). The Senate is expected to vote on the bill later in the day. The short-term extension is the fourth in recent months. The House GOP leadership is voicing increasing expectation that it’ll be the last before Congress approves a final spending package for the full year that exceeds $1.6 trillion. The renewed focus on this year’s spending bills doesn’t include a separate effort to provide military aid to Ukraine and Israel.