The bill was passed just hours before a midnight deadline to avoid a lapse in funding, which would have shut down the government.

Congress averted a government shutdown Friday just hours before the funding deadline, after the Senate approved a House-passed spending bill that exposed deep rifts within the Democratic Party.

The U.S. Senate on Friday night averted a looming midnight shutdown of the federal government by passing a funding bill after approving a key procedural vote with the support of enough Democrats. The measure passed 54-46,