U.S. Senate passes 1.1-tln-USD government spending bill

The U.S. Senate approved a 1.1-trillion-U.S.-dollar spending bill for fiscal year 2015 on Saturday and averted another government shutdown.

The bill, which was narrowly passed in the House of Representatives on Thursday, was passed by the Senate with a vote of 56 to 40. Thus, nearly all federal agencies would get funds through next September.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. Senate approved a five-day extension of federal funding through Wednesday, aiming to give lawmakers more time to solve the partisan fight on the spending bill.

The White House said Thursday it supported passage of the spending bill and appreciated the bipartisan effort to include full-year appropriations legislation for most government functions. Enditem