Awwal 05, 1432 / April 09, 2011, SPA -- US President Barack Obama on Saturday signed a temporary funding bill to keep the government open after a last minute deal with congressional Republicans that prevented a partial shutdown, according to dpa. The measure will fund the government until Friday so the White House and lawmakers can hammer out a broader spending plan after weeks of a deadlock that threatened to force up to 800,000 federal workers to go on unpaid leave. The White House and congressional Democrats forged a deal with Republicans shortly before midnight on Friday, when the spending bill would have expired. The two sides had been sparring over the extent of cuts in federal spending, with Republicans wanting deeper reductions than the Democrats and Obama would allow.
