Lawmakers Reach Deal to Fund Government in 2012

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers agreed on Monday to fund the government through next year, potentially avoiding a shutdown that would have further eroded Congress' tattered reputation ahead of the 2012 election.

A group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers in charge of government spending agreed on how to fund crucial government functions until the current fiscal year ends Oct. 1, 2012, congressional aides said.

Details were not immediately available and lawmakers were expected to publish the massive spending bill, also known as the omnibus, on Tuesday.

The House of Representatives and the Senate must still vote in favor of the spending bill before a temporary funding measure expires on Friday.