U.S. Congress avoids Homeland Security shutdown

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security avoided a shutdown after lawmakers on Friday extended its funding, but only until March 6, Agence France Presse reported.

President Barack Obama signed early Saturday a bill that will fund the DHS for one week, Reuters news agency reported. Lawmakers will have to revisit the department’s closure by the end of the extension.

House and Senate members were forced to scramble to prevent the premier agency securing the United States against terror threats from running out of money at midnight, after earlier attempts to secure longer periods of funding failed spectacularly.

The House was able to finally pull together and passed the seven-day measure by a vote of 357 to 60, with just two hours to spare, after the Senate passed it by voice vote.

[With AFP]