(Image source: The New York Times)

BY ZACH TOOMBS

A stopgap bill that avoids government shutdown gained House approval Tuesday, clearing its last hurdle before being sent to the White House. FOX Business reports.

“The House of Representatives today passed a short-term bill to keep the government running, at least through November 18. The legislation, known as a Continuing Resolution, includes more than two-and-a-half billion dollars of disaster aid.”

Pending President Obama’s stamp of approval, that disaster aid will replenish FEMA’s disaster relief fund -- a fund in high demand after a string of wildfires and hurricanes. After passing through the Senate last week, the bill cleared the House in a drama-less 352-to-66 vote. Politico reports.

“The 352-66 vote followed a truncated floor debate that consumed little more than 10 minutes... But it also reflected a weariness in both parties after the roller-coaster ride of recent weeks, and, while 53 Republicans voted in opposition, none rose to demand time to speak on the question.”

Although the bill passed quietly Tuesday, it had sparked a heated debate last month after Republicans insisted on offsetting increased FEMA aid with cuts in federal spending. According to The New York Times:

“Democrats balked at such a move, fearing that it would set a precedent for future natural disasters, in which the government would be forced to look for offsets in spending to aid victims of hurricanes, tornados and the like. … The impasse ended when (FEMA) found enough money to make it through the 2011 fiscal year — which ended on Friday — allowing Congress to sidestep the issue of whether to offset an immediate infusion of cash to the agency.”

But the bill’s quick passage doesn’t mean there weren’t concessions on both sides of the aisle. Politico reports the bill puts the new fiscal year cap for 2011 at $1.043 trillion. That’s $89 billion below Mr. Obama’s budget requests but still $24 billion higher than the limit House Republicans had set.