Biden signs $1.2 trillion funding package, averting government shutdown

U.S. President Joe Biden departs the White House in Washington

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a $1.2 trillion budget bill to keep the U.S. government funded through a fiscal year that began six months ago and to avert a partial shutdown, according to a statement released by the White House.

"The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open, invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security," Biden said in the statement.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Ismail Shakil; editing by Jonathan Oatis)