The House of Representatives voted 320 to 99 on Thursday to pass a stopgap bill aimed at preventing a partial government shutdown as funding for key government agencies is set to expire at the end of the day on Friday. The measure will now need to be taken up and passed by the Senate before the funding deadline.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed hope that the Senate would be able to address the short-term funding extension on Thursday evening. The short-term funding extension, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), is crucial to avoid a government shutdown on March 1 and March 8.

House Speaker Mike Johnson faced pressure to fight for conservative wins in the spending talks but emphasized the importance of breaking up the budgeting process into smaller pieces. The deal cut by Johnson faced criticism from some Republican members, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Byron Donalds, who expressed objections to the funding package.

Lawmakers have reached agreements on six appropriations bills to be passed before March 8, covering various departments such as Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice and Science, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development. The remaining six appropriations bills, including Defense and Homeland Security, are planned to be voted on before March 22.