by ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press | September 29, 2016

Averting an election-year crisis, Congress late Wednesday sent President Barack Obama a bill to keep the government operating through Dec. 9 and provide $1.1 billion in long-delayed funding to battle the Zika virus. The House cleared the measure by a 342-85 vote just hours after bipartisan Senate approval. 

The bill caps months of wrangling over money to fight the mosquito-borne Zika virus. It also includes $500 million for rebuilding assistance to flood-ravaged Louisiana and other states. The White House said Obama will sign the measure.

The deal averts a potential federal shutdown and comes just three days before deadline. It also defuses a lengthy, frustrating battle over Zika spending. The politicking and power plays enormously complicated what should have been a routine measure to avoid an election-eve government shutdown.

The U.S. Travel Association issued a statement on behalf of the approved zika funding. Read it here.