WASHINGTON—The House prepared to pass an extension of government funding through Feb. 18 in a bid to avoid a partial shutdown this weekend, but a hangup in the Senate over vaccine mandates threatened to slow the bill’s progress to President Biden’s desk.
With current funding set to lapse at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, the legislation would also have to rapidly clear the Senate to avert a shutdown. While top Democrats and Republicans reached an agreement on the terms of the extension early Thursday, some Republicans are pushing to amend the bill so it bars the Biden administration from enacting rules requiring many employers to ensure their workers are vaccinated or tested weekly for Covid-19.
