Politics / government shutdown Congress Passes Bill to Keep Government Open 1 More Week House and Senate will be busy with negotiations over the weekend By Evann Gastaldo, Newser Staff Posted Apr 28, 2017 11:01 AM CDT Updated Apr 28, 2017 12:40 PM CDT Copied House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., shuttles between the chamber and House Speaker Paul Ryan's Capitol Hill office, Friday, March 24, 2017, during the debate on the Republican health care bill. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) A government shutdown has been averted, for now. The House of Representatives passed a short-term spending deal Friday to keep the government open for another week, and the Senate followed suit immediately afterward, the Washington Post reports. Negotiators from both chambers are expected to spend the weekend putting together a deal that would keep the government funded through September, when the fiscal year ends. Health care had been one sticking point, and on Thursday night, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy clarified that the new GOP health-care bill would not be voted on Friday. (More government shutdown stories.) Report an error