US lawmakers have passed a budget bill that would keep the government operating, while defunding President Barack Obama's healthcare law.

Mr Obama has vowed to veto the bill in the unlikely event it ever gets that far, and in a speech on Friday, criticised Republicans for the vote.

In Liberty, Missouri, he called on Congress to also pass an increase to the debt limit, which authorises the US treasury to borrow up to a set limit.

"That's what Congress is threatening to do, saying 'I'm not going to pay the bills'," Mr Obama said. "If we don't raise the debt ceiling, we're deadbeats."