The U.S. Capitol building in Washington.The House has passed a temporary funding measure to keep the government running. The bill is coupled with a tea party-backed measure to block President Obama's new health care law.
The 230 -189 vote sets the stage for a confrontation with the Democratic-led Senate. The Senate promises to strip the "defund Obamacare" provision from the bill next week and will challenge the House to pass it as a straightforward funding bill that Obama will sign.
The White House promises Obama would veto the measure in the unlikely event it reaches him.
At issue is the need to pass a short-term funding bill to prevent a partial government shutdown when the budget year ends on Sept. 30. Washington's longstanding budget stalemate has derailed the annual appropriations bills required to fund federal agency operations.