New spending bill to avert government shutdown passes House

A last-ditch effort to temporarily fund the government and avert a shutdown passed the House on Friday, a sigh of release for millions of federal workers whose paychecks were thrust into uncertainty during the holidays.

The funding bill passed by a vote of 366-34. A two-thirds vote was needed in the House to avert a shutdown. The legislation now heads to the Senate, which has until midnight to pass the bill.

The latest attempt at a funding bill comes after lawmakers scrambled to update...