Senate leaders have reached a deal on short-term funding to avoid a government shutdown before the election season.

WASHINGTON — Senate leaders have reached a bipartisan deal on a short-term spending bill to fund the U.S. government through early December, reducing the likelihood of a federal shutdown in the weeks leading up to the midterms.

The stopgap measure is expected to receive a Senate vote before lawmakers leave Washington for the August recess, extending current government funding through Dec. 11. Congress is racing to beat the current fiscal year’s Sept. 30 deadline to avoid a lapse in funding, as full-year spending legislation remains to be negotiated.

The House has already passed a similar temporary funding bill, but the Senate version has a handful of negotiated changes following talks with the White House.

Among the differences, Democratic lawmakers said the Senate agreement does not include the administration’s request for $1 billion to build what the White House described as “Trump-class” battleships. And they said the bill contains language that prohibits the administration from shifting money from other federal programs to the U.S. Border Patrol.

The agreement comes sooner than usual. Congress frequently waits until the last days -- or even hours -- before a funding deadline to pass temporary spending measures. This year Senate leaders opted to act far ahead of the September deadline in an effort to avoid another politically damaging government shutdown during campaign season.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said a priority was to avoid another shutdown before lawmakers leave for the August break and return to their home states.

Lawmakers hope the temporary extension will allow them to have more time to negotiate the 12 annual appropriations bills that fund federal agencies for the entire fiscal year.

But there still are major disagreements. Republicans want cuts to non-defence programmes but also want to increase defence spending. President Donald Trump has called for about a 10% cut in non-defence spending and a 44% increase in defence funding.

Both sides seem eager to avoid another shutdown after previous battles over funding upset government operations and attracted voter scorn. Polls taken after last year’s extended shutdown revealed that neither party emerged from it without political damage.

The most recent talks also included a proposed Trump administration rule on federal grants. The rule would force senior political appointees in each federal agency to review discretionary grant awards to make sure they are in line with the president’s policy priorities.

The temporary spending bill would delay implementation of the rule while lawmakers continue to review it, said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the committee, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the committee's top Democrat.

Collins said she has been pushing for major changes, arguing the proposal could politicise grant-making and hurt rural communities, families and biomedical research.

Democrats have called for scrapping the proposal altogether. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the rule could politicise federal grant decisions, and Murray said she would keep fighting to block it for good.

The White House Office of Management and Budget has defended the proposal, saying the review process is intended to strengthen oversight and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent effectively.