The House passed a bill Thursday to fund the government through Feb. 18 as Congress tries to stave off a shutdown that could happen Friday if lawmakers don’t act. The temporary spending bill will now head to the Senate, where it will need to pass by Friday night to avoid a shutdown, which would result in the furlough of thousands of workers. The 221-212 vote in the House came after lawmakers struggled to come to an agreement on the measure, again causing a showdown over government funding just before a shutdown deadline. The short-term measure would give Congress time to work on a longer-term funding plan. But the threat of a shutdown still looms. The bill could face complications in the Senate, where a group of Republicans are threatening to delay passage of the bill in the upper chamber because they want language in the bill that would prevent the use of federal money to carry out a Biden administration mandate on workplace vaccinations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., criticized the GOP group's demands, saying Thursday, "We're not going to go for their anti-vaxxing. So, if you think that’s how we’re going to keep government open, forget that." For the latest on the bill, click the link in our bio. #congress #politics