Senate approves U.S. budget bill, ends shutdown threat

Reuters: Washington's battles over government funding ended with a whimper on Thursday as the U.S. Senate approved a $1.1 trillion spending bill that quells for nearly nine months the threat of another federal agency shutdown.

The measure, which funds thousands of government programs from the military to national parks through the September 30 fiscal year-end, passed on a strong, 72-26 bipartisan vote. President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law by Saturday.

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