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              US Congress Faces Deadline to Avoid Partial Shutdown

   by VOA News

   The U.S. Congress is headed toward approval of a temporary spending
   plan to keep the national government from a partial shutdown.

   Both the Senate and House of Representatives are planning votes
   Wednesday to adopt a funding measure for federal agencies that would
   last through December 11, when another showdown over spending
   priorities is likely.

   The stopgap measure the Senate and House are voting on would extend
   spending at the same level it has been for the 12-month period that is
   ending.

   President Barack Obama and his Democratic colleagues in Congress have
   sparred yearly with conservative Republican lawmakers over the scope of
   the government. Republicans have generally sought more funding for
   defense and national security programs, while Democrats want bigger
   allocations for domestic social welfare programs.

   ''Planned Parenthood
   The two parties are also at odds over a half-billion dollars in federal
   funding for Planned Parenthood, a nonprofit organization that performs
   abortions and provides reproductive health care for 2.7 million
   American women. Republicans opposed to abortion have sought -- so far
   unsuccessfully -- to end taxpayer payments to the group.

   The Planned Parenthood funding is included in the temporary spending
   plan awaiting congressional approval, but abortion opponents have vowed
   a new fight against it when the budget is up for adoption again as the
   temporary plan expires in December.

   With the 2016 U.S. presidential election on the horizon, Senate
   Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that Republicans are
   looking to negotiate a spending plan with the White House that would
   set limits for the next two years, through September 2017. McConnell
   said he expects the talks will start soon.

   Lawmakers need to act before midnight Wednesday to avert a partial
   shutdown like the one that closed much of the federal government for 16
   days in October 2013.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-congress-faces-government-budget-d
   eadline-to-avoid-shutdown/2985595.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-congress-faces-government-budget-deadline-to-avoid-shutdown/2985595.html