Senate to consider short-term funding bill. The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee is now considering a proposal put forth by Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and ranking member Richard Shelby of Alabama that would fund the government through the end of the fiscal year, on Sept. 30, and avert a government shutdown March 27, when the current stop-gap spending measure expires. The budget amendment builds on the continuing resolution passed by the House last week. Instead o...