Congress approved a budget bill that will prevent a government shutdown for now while lawmakers negotiate over Republican demands to further cut federal spending this year, Bloomberg reported.

The Senate voted 91-9 to send President Barack Obama the measure to fund the government until March 18. The bill, which reduces spending by $4 billion, passed the House yesterday on a 335-91 vote. Current government spending authority was set to expire March 4.

“We’re going to keep working toward a solution” for the rest of this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said before the vote. “This time around, it may not include everything Democrats want or everything the Republicans want, but we need to have a compromise.”

Democrats had sought a month-long extension to give lawmakers more time to work out their differences on funding agencies for the next seven months.

Obama said in a statement that he was pleased with today’s extension, but added: “Living with the threat of a shutdown every few weeks is not responsible, and it puts our economic progress in jeopardy.”

The president called on congressional leaders of both parties to meet with Vice President Joe Biden, White House Chief of Staff William Daley and Budget Director Jack Lew to work on a longer-term budget agreement.