United Nations: The US Senate has passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open until next year, avoiding a shutdown. According to reports, the Senate passed the continuing resolution 69-28 on Thursday evening.

The law is now on its way to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed. The House of Representatives passed the continuing resolution by a vote of 221 to 212 earlier on Thursday, with all but one Republican voting against it.

According to US media reports, House Republicans wrote to Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday, requesting that he utilise all of his tools to stop the CR in his chamber unless it cuts funding for vaccine mandate enforcement. Following a meeting with Democratic counterpart Chuck Schumer on Tuesday, McConnell stated that the government will neither default or shut down.

Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas led a group of Republican members sought a simple majority vote on an amendment prohibiting funding for the coronavirus vaccine and testing mandates imposed by the Biden administration.

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