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Article snippet: Lawmakers drifted closer to a shutdown of the federal government late Thursday after the House approved a funding bill on a largely party-line vote, with Democrats in the Senate vowing to defeat the measure. Senate Majority Leader Friday without scheduling a vote on the House measure, giving lawmakers just 13 hours to reach a deal to avert a shutdown. A Senate vote to advance the House funding bill is expected to fail with Democrats and some Republicans lining up against the measure. McConnell needs 60 votes to overcome a Democratic filibuster and pass a bill to avert a shutdown, which would begin Friday night at midnight. Despite the time crunch, Republicans and Democrats angrily blamed each other Thursday night for the looming shutdown. McConnell accused Democrats of holding hostage various federal priorities, including a six-year extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), in order to gain leverage over what he called a “non-imminent problem" of immigration. “They’re prepared to shut down the government over the issue of illegal immigration,” he said. McConnell argued that Congress has until March 5 to replace the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which MORE announced in September that he would rescind. Trump’s executive decision threatens an estimated 800,000 illegal immigrants who came to the country as children. “Where is the urgency here?” McConnell asked. That statement angered Senate Democratic Whip MORE (... Link to the full article to read more