Congress Passes Bill to Keep Government Running (Also Iraq $ shift)

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress on Wednesday passed a stop-gap bill to keep the government running into November avoiding some tough election-year votes as Republican admitted they could not finish their budget work.

The House of Representatives voted 389-32 to support the bill to fund government programs outside defense at 2004 levels until Nov. 20 and the Senate then approved it unanimously.

The bill also grants President Bush's request to shift $3.5 billion away from reconstruction projects in Iraq to improve security and gives officials authority to write off 95 percent of Iraqi debt owed to the United States.

"Tomorrow at midnight, the government runs out of money," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Young, a Florida Republican.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6370855