US government avoids shutdown after funding bill clears Congress
The US government has narrowly avoided a crippling shutdown after politicians agreed on a last-minute spending deal.
Failure to reach an agreement would have meant federal employees would have missed pay ahead of the festive season, impacting various public services.
Plans to approve the government’s budget were thrown into disarray this week after billionaire Elon Musk hit out at a bill put forward by Republicans and Democrats.
His opposition was backed by president-elect Donald Trump who wanted to increase the debt ceiling, which caps the amount the government can borrow.
But his revamped plan to suspend the cap for two years lost in a vote on Thursday, putting Congress in a race against time to agree a deal before midnight local time.
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