Senate avoids shutdown by funding government through March

The Senate on Thursday approved a stop-gap spending bill that will avoid a government shutdown until March.

The bill, "Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act," passed the necessary 60 vote threshold by 65-27, according to the Senate Press Gallery.

The Senate rejected Republican amendments about COVID-19 on the bill. The Senate also rejected GOP COVID amendements on another stopgap bill in December that extending funding through Feb. 18.

The bill's passage was delayed for several days after some Republican senators requested for the bill to have amendments restricting how the government funds could be used.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) proposed an amendment that prohibited funding for COVID vaccine mandates, but the measure failed 46-47 on Thursday evening.

Shortly thereafter, the Senate rejected an amendment by 44-49 from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that would have ceased funding for schools with COVID-19 vaccine mandates.