WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has cleared a hurdle on a stopgap spending bill that would avert a government shutdown and unravel President Barack Obama's health care law.

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The vote was 100-0 and came an hour after freshman Sen. Ted Cruz ended his 21-hour, 19-minute filibuster. Cruz supports the bill but used a stalling tactic to postpone the inevitable — Democratic leader Harry Reid has the votes to strip out the defund Obamacare provision and send the spending bill back to the House.

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The procedural vote allows the Senate to move ahead on the bill, with a key vote looming Friday or Saturday. The fiscal year ends on Monday and failure to pass a bill would force a government shutdown.

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