WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday night passed a short-term spending bill that will keep the government open until early February, setting the stage for a fresh fight over border-wall funding in next year’s divided Congress.

The stopgap bill passed the Senate on a voice vote, with lawmakers from both parties eager to avert a partial shutdown when seven spending bills expire at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The bill extends funding of the government until Feb. 8.

The measure now heads to the House, where it is expected to be passed on Thursday. If signed into law, the measure would extend a monthslong fight over President Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border into next year, when Democrats take control of the House.

“The situation changes — you’re going to have a divided government now,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said of the shifting political dynamics. “You have to reconfigure the equation.”

An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.

Also popular on WSJ.com:

U.S. military preparing for a full withdrawal of its forces in Syria.

‘It’s been a rout’: Apple’s iPhones fall flat in world’s largest untapped market.

We Want to Hear from You Join the conversation

Comment