By Kery Murakami,
Senior Reporter

The vote in the House and Senate averts a shutdown and brings funding certainty. But several programs significant to state and local governments will see cuts.

Ending months of uncertainty for state and local governments, Congress Saturday morning finally agreed on a budget for the fiscal year that began nearly six months ago on Oct. 1.

Though the vote came two hours after a midnight deadline, there will now be no government shutdown after the Senate approved a second package of six spending bills in a 74-24 vote. Earlier in the day, the House voted 286-134 to pass the bills. The vote came two weeks after Congress approved the first set of six spending bills.

“We are not punting through yet another continuing resolution,” said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Congress had hurried to pass the bills not only to prevent a shutdown but also to allow Collins to attend her mother’s funeral on Saturday,

Some programs significant to state and local governments will see cuts, and a program to help low-income people afford internet service will not receive funding to continue past the end of next month.

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