Congress is trying to avert one crisis while staving off another with the Senate poised to approve legislation that would fund the federal government into early December. The House is expected to pass the measure after the Senate vote Thursday, preventing a partial government shutdown when the new budget year begins Friday. Democrats were forced to remove a suspension of the federal government's borrowing limit from the bill at the insistence of Republicans. If the debt limit isn't raised by Oct. 18, the United States probably will face a financial crisis and economic recession, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said. Republicans say Democrats have the votes to raise the debt limit on their own, and Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is insisting they do so. But the most immediate priority facing Congress is to keep the government running once the current budget year ends at midnight Thursday. The bill's expected approval will buy lawmakers more time to craft the spending bills that will fund federal agencies and the programs they administer. Politics House delays vote on infrastructure bill amid fractious negotiations Speaker Nancy Pelosi cancels planned vote on President Biden's infrastructure plan as Democratic negotiations continue. Sept. 30, 2021 Democrats, meanwhile, are struggling over how to get President Biden's top domestic priorities over the finish line. There's a bipartisan infrastructure bill that contains $550 billion in new spending for roads, bridges, broadband and other programs, as well as a $3.5-trillion package of social, health and environmental programs. "This is a good outcome, one I'm happy we are getting done," Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said before the vote. "With so many things to take care of in Washington, the last thing the American people need is for the government to grind to a halt." The short-term spending legislation will also provide about $28.6 billion in disaster relief for those recovering from Hurricane Ida and other natural disasters, and help support Afghanistan evacuees from the 20-year war between the U.S. and the Taliban. Action in the final hours to avoid a partial government shutdown has become almost routine in recent years, with lawmakers usually able to fashion a compromise. The funding bill was slowed this time by disagreement over allowing the government to take on more debt so that it could continue to meet its financial obligations. Currently the borrowing cap is set at $28.4 trillion.