The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that cuts $4 billion in spending, forestalling a government shut-down for the next two weeks.
Missouri Democratic Senator Claire McCaskill joined all but one of her colleagues in approving the measure.
McCaskill says she hopes Senators use the next two weeks to negotiate cuts that don't simply target discretionary spending, which is only 12-to-15 percent of the budget.
"And frankly that's the part of the budget that does things like helps educates our kids, build our highways and provide some important assistance to state and local government," McCaskill said. "I think we need to make sure we're looking at the entire budget."
Lawmakers now have until March 18 to negotiate a spending plan for the fiscal year that ends September 30.