Temporary government funding bill headed for passage in U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bill to fund U.S. government activities through Dec. 16 gained enough votes in the Senate to pass with voting continuing on Thursday, as Congress faced a midnight Friday deadline with the start of a new fiscal year.

Passage of the bill would send it to the U.S. House of Representatives, which is expected to act before the deadline and avert partial government shutdowns that otherwise would begin on Saturday.

(Reporting by Moira Warburton, David Morgan and Richard Cowan in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese)