White House to hold briefing on possible govt shutdown

The White House announced in a statement that it would be holding a media briefing on Friday over the possible government shutdown, as legislators struggled to keep the United States government funded.

Marc Short, White House legislative affairs director, and Mick Mulvaney, head of the Office of Management and Budget, will conduct the briefing at around 10:30 am (local time).

Earlier, the US House of Representatives passed a Republican-led bill aimed at avoiding a government shutdown.

However, the fight to get the bill through Congress is not over yet. This legislation would likely be dead on arrival in the Senate, where Democrats have said they have enough votes to block the legislation.

The final vote was 230-197, with six Democrats voting for the measure and 11 Republicans voting against it.

If the bill ultimately becomes law, it would be the fourth temporary funding patch since September.