US Congress lines up stopgap bill to avert partial government shutdown

(Reuters) - Top Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress unveiled a stopgap measure on Tuesday to keep federal agencies funded through March 14, which would avert a partial government shutdown that would otherwise begin on Saturday.

The measure would likely keep the roughly $6.2 trillion federal budget running at its current level, funding programs ranging from the military, air traffic controllers and federal regulators for areas ranging from drug safety to securities markets.

Rank-and-file members of Congress will now review the measure's details, with some hardline Republicans in the House of Representatives already signaling opposition to some elements, meaning that some Democratic votes will likely be necessary for passage.

It was unclear when the Republican-controlled House will vote, but if successful the Democratic-majority Senate would aim to take up the legislation before Friday's midnight deadline and send it to President Joe Biden to sign it into law.

The package includes $100.4 billion in new emergency funding to help states including North Carolina and Florida recover from devastating hurricanes, as well as western wildfires and other recent disasters.

That money would include $29 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund; $21 billion for aid to farmers hit by flooding and other losses; and $10 billion in economic assistance for them, according to the legislative text.

State and local communities would receive $12 billion in block grants, and $8 billion would be earmarked for the Transportation Department's highway and road disaster relief.

Nearly $5.7 billion in new funding would go to the Pentagon's Virginia-class submarine building by General Dynamics Corp (GD.N), opens new tab and Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII.N), opens new tab, and about $2.9 billion is set for the Columbia-class model.