Government shutdown: Republicans consider escape hatch as Congress careens toward deadline

Government

Republican senators appear to be opening the door to preventing a partial government shutdown as the chamber prepares to start voting on a House-passed package to fully fund a group of federal agencies through the remaining fiscal year. The Senate is set to vote on six funding bills as early as Thursday morning. If the chamber doesn't pass all of them, much of the federal government would shut down Friday at 12:01 ET. The bills would fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other