By David Lawder
WASHINGTON, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Election-year politics was briefly delaying passage of legislation in the U.S. Senate to fund federal programs for six months and avoid an Oct. 1 government shutdown, as lawmakers on Friday inched closer to a recess that would extend through the Nov. 6 elections.
Senate leaders were expected to ultimately deal with their differences and approve a bill already passed by the House of Representatives to keep the government operating in the absence of a long-term funding measure.
The vote on the short-term money bill is now expected to clear the Senate by Sunday and then be sent to President Barack Obama for signing into law.
But first, Democratic and Republican Senate leaders had to clear some obstacles that were delaying the vote.
Both Democrats and Republicans are using the "must-pass" ${esc.dollar}524 billion spending extension, called a continuing resolution, to push for votes on unrelated legislation that could help their political fortunes.
Republicans want a vote on a bill sponsored by Senator Rand Paul that would cut U.S. aid to Pakistan, Egypt and Libya in response to violent attacks at U.S. installations in those countries.
The aid measure has little chance of becoming law, but allows Republicans seeking re-election to claim that they are being tough on Obama's foreign policy.
Democrats want to stage a vote on a hunting and fishing bill aimed at helping the campaign of Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who is in a tough re-election fight in Montana that threatens the thin Democratic majority in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he hoped for a deal that would let senators to leave Washington for the weekend.
But if senators insist on dwelling on the unrelated measures, the vote on funding would most likely come Sunday morning.
A stop-gap funding measure must be signed into law by Obama by Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, or the government will have to start shutting down agencies and operations.
The measure, which funds the government's discretionary expenditures until March 27 at the annualized rate of ${esc.dollar}1.047 trillion, was aimed at neutralizing the threat of another nasty government shutdown fight just weeks before the election.
The Republican-led House passed the continuing resolution last week by a substantial margin with little rancor and no major changes.
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