U.S. Senate passes funding bill, Obama signs into law

The U.S. Capitol dome is pictured in the pre-dawn darkness in Washington in this file general view photo taken October 18, 2013. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/Files

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Friday to fund the government through April and President Barack Obama promptly signed it into law, after Democrats who had sought more generous healthcare benefits for coal miners stopped delaying action on the measure.

Many government services and operations would have been closed or suspended at midnight, when current funding authority expired, if the Senate had not approved the bill. The vote was 63-36.