Homeland Security shutdown averted; Short-time bill likely to pass

World Today

Rep. Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., holds up a copy of the Constitution while talking to reporters as House Republicans emerge from a closed-door meeting on how to deal with the impasse over the Homeland Security budget, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. GOP lawmakers have been trying to block President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration through the funding for the DHS which expires Friday night. Sounding retreat, House Republicans agreed Thursday night to push short-term funding to prevent a partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security while leaving in place Obama administration immigration policies they have vowed to repeal. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The U.S. House of Representatives has cleared the way for passage of a short-term bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security and avert a partial agency shutdown.

The vote was 240-183, and it came just hours ahead of a midnight deadline to fund the agency.

The procedural vote cleared the way for final passage of the legislation in the House and Senate.

The three-week funding bill leaves intact President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration — even though Republicans have vowed to repeal them.

House Republican leaders insist that agreeing to a short-term bill gives them another chance to try to overturn Obama’s directives limiting deportations for millions.

But Senate Republicans have already admitted defeat and were moving to approve a full-year bill free of contentious immigration provisions.

Story compiled with information from AP reports.