WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to avert a government shutdown next week by keeping agencies and discretionary programs funded through the fiscal year ending on September 30.

The measure, approved by a 73-26 vote, must go back to the House of Representatives for final approval. It keeps in place $85 billion in automatic spending cuts, but it offers the military and some domestic agencies more flexibility to shift funds within these reduced budgets to higher-priority programs.

(Reporting By David Lawder; Editing by Sandra Maler)