Congress averted a government shutdown Friday just hours before the funding deadline, after the Senate approved a House-passed spending bill that exposed deep rifts within the Democratic Party.

The Senate gave final approval to a stopgap spending bill to fund the government through Sept. 30. The GOP-backed measure cleared a key hurdle with help from 10 Democratic senators.

Democrats faced two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives the president vast discretion on spending decisions, or voting no and letting funding lapse. All told, 10 Democrats voted to break the party's filibuster,