The US Congress passed a crucial federal spending bill today after hours of delay, sending the measure for President Donald Trump's signature to end the nation's second government shutdown in three weeks. <br/><br/>The House voted 240 to 186 in support of a bipartisan package that extends funding until March 23, and which will reopen government hours after a conservative senator forced Congress to miss a midnight deadline, sparking the shutdown. <br/><br/>Trump supports the measure and is expected to sign it into law today, ending a serious and embarrassing drama on Capitol Hill over federal spending.<br/>House Speaker Paul Ryan, the top Republican in Congress, acknowledged the perversity of the "entirely needless" shutdown, which may enter the history books as just a blip but speaks volumes about the political gridlock that defines Washington.