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1st LD Writethru: U.S. House avoids DHS shutdown with 7-day extension of funding bill

Xinhua, February 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

The U.S. House on Friday passed a 7-day funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), saving it from a partial shutdown at midnight.

The House voted 357-60 to successfully buy time for Congress to figure out a longer-term funding solution for the DHS.

The Senate passed the one-week extension funding bill hours earlier, and President Barack Obama is expected to sign it soon.

The week-long funding bill came after a defeat for House Speaker John Boehner earlier Friday. The House failed to pass a three-week extension bill as 52 Republican and almost all Democrats voted against the measure.

Conservative Republicans called the bill a cave-in to the White House because it did not block Obama's executive orders on immigration. House Democrats then helped GOP leaders in the vote to pass a one-week extension on a second try late Friday.

House minority leader Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to her fellow Democrats to back the one-week measure, saying they would have the opportunity to support a one-year "clean" funding bill next week. Endi