US senate rejects bill to avoid shutdown

The US Senate rejected a bill Monday that would have averted a looming government shutdown while delaying implementation of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reforms. The upper chamber of Congress voted down the measure 54-46, hours before the government is due to run out of money to operate if the Senate and lower House of Representatives can not agree to a short-term budget resolution. Republicans in the House must now weigh whether to allow the government to shut down or to offer an alternate plan that does not include efforts to kill or delay Obamacare that are a non-starter in the Democratic-controlled Senate.