Washington  - The US Congress has been forced to adopt a temporary funding bill to keep government services running through Wednesday, after the Senate failed to agree on a budget that would last until September.

The legislation was needed to avoid a shutdown of most federal agencies at midnight Friday. The House of Representatives and Senate voted to extend government funding until Tuesday and the measure will be signed by President Barack Obama later Friday.

Republicans and Democrats have been at loggerheads in the Senate over the so-called omnibus appropriations bill totalling 410 billion dollars. The bill combines a series of delayed spending measures from 2008 and would fund government programmes through September.

Opposition Republicans and some conservative Democrats have complained that the bill's high price tag is unwarranted in a recession. The measure includes spending increases for many domestic agencies and is laden with 7.7 billion dollars in pet projects by lawmakers.

The House had already approved the omnibus bill last month. Democratic leaders hoped to gather enough votes to get it through the Senate early next week. (dpa)