The Republican-led US Senate passed a temporary measure to fund federal agencies through Dec 11 on Saturday, in a move intended to avert a crippling federal government shutdown weeks before the November midterm elections.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed its own short-term funding measure last month. The two chambers will have to resolve their differences before President Donald Trump can sign it into law before current funding expires on Sept 30 — less than five weeks before the Nov 3 congressional elections.

Democrats said the Senate version, in contrast to the House version, would prevent the Trump administration from reallocating funding to border security from other programmes.

It also includes language to allow funding adjustments for housing and food assistance programmes.

The Senate measure would also temporarily block the White House budget office from implementing a new rule giving political appointees control over hundreds of billions of dollars in grant money.