The Senate has passed a stopgap government funding bill to fund the government into March, when Republicans will have greater power to cut federal spending.

The bill would freeze agency budgets at current levels. That's still too high for Republicans set to take over the House, who vow to cut many programs to levels in place when President Barack Obama took office.

The measure is needed because the Democratic-controlled Congress has failed to pass a single of the 12 annual spending bills that fund the day-to-day operations of every federal agency.

The 79-16 vote sends the measure to the House, which will pass it shortly and ship it to Obama by midnight to avoid a government shutdown.