US lawmakers approved a funding stopgap Thursday that prevents a government shutdown, but their clash over budget blueprints signaled a contentious debate over the future of federal spending. A trio of key votes bookended the action in Congress ahead of a two-week congressional recess, the most urgent one being on the so-called continuing resolution, a $1.2 trillion appropriations measure that will keep the doors of federal agencies open through September, the end of the fiscal year.

Congress approved a funding stopgap Thursday to keep the US government operating through September, while the House backed a Republican blueprint that lays out budget austerity for the next decade. The two votes came in rapid-fire succession in the House of Representatives ahead of a two-week congressional holiday recess. The more urgent vote was the so-called continuing resolution, or CR, the $1.2 trillion appropriations bill that would keep the doors of federal agencies open through the remainder of the fiscal year.

Washington, Mar 19 (EFE).- House Speaker John Boehner gave his support Tuesday for a provisional plan for U.S. immigration reform, to be worked on by a bipartisan group of eight House members. "Last week the senior leaders met with our four members, who've been meeting with four Democrats now for over four years. And they're essentially in agreement over how to proceed," the Ohio Republican told a press conference. The provisional plan of the bipartisan group is "a pretty responsible solution" to the immigration problem in the United States, Boehner said.

By David Lawder and Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama met on Wednesday with his toughest critics in Washington - House of Representatives Republicans - and made little headway in convincing them to accept his demand for tax increases as part of a deficit-reduction deal.