Senate Passes Funding Bill, Averts Government Shutdown

TFD – Discover the latest developments as the Senate passes a crucial funding bill, avoiding a looming government shutdown.

Early on Saturday morning, the Senate passed a federal funding bill, preventing a partial government shutdown and putting an end to a protracted dispute that had been hanging over both sides of Capitol Hill for months.

Next, the legislation will be forwarded to President Joe Biden, who is scheduled to sign it into law on Saturday.

The vote is a significant event on Capitol Hill because it ends the yearly appropriations process, which has taken far longer than usual. This process has been hampered by partisan policy differences and a historic shift in House leadership following conservatives’ unprecedented vote to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy from office last year.

The Senate’s move effectively prevented any loss in funding or government function, and the federal government is now funded through the end of the fiscal year, even though final passage was achieved after the midnight deadline.

Following a turbulent day on Capitol Hill, the Senate votes demonstrate how close the majorities in both chambers are and how high the level of discord among members is. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a fiery Republican from Georgia who is considered a reformer, filed a motion to remove Johnson from the speakership as soon as the House voted to approve the bill that the Senate is debating. Although the resolution does not require immediate attention, it is the speaker’s most official and forceful challenge to his leadership since he assumed office at the end of last year. In the end, the House voted 286–134, with 22 Democrats and 112 Republicans voting against.

The Senate’s voting was postponed for hours due to discussions about a deal to expedite the chamber’s passage, even though the House had already cast its vote earlier in the day on Friday. Republicans had pushed for votes on contentious amendments that would have placed certain Senate Democrats in politically precarious positions.

A number of crucial federal agencies are covered by the financing measure, including the legislative branch, the departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

Just before three in the morning ET on Thursday, lawmakers presented the $1.2 trillion federal financing proposal, which is over 1,000 pages long.

Less than 48 hours remain until the deadline for a partial government shutdown, according to Schumer, who stated on Thursday that the legislative package’s wording was sent “just in time.” “Now Congress must now race to pass this package before government funding runs out this Friday,” the Democratic leader continued. The Senate needs bipartisan support once the House acts in order to pass the package by Friday’s deadline and prevent a shutdown, as just one senator might impede the bill’s passage and cause a partial government closure.

Congress eventually approved a bundle of six bills in early March to finance a number of government departments for the remainder of the fiscal year, ending months of averting shutdowns at the last minute with stopgap measures.

Following McCarthy’s removal, Johnson took the gavel, but he now faces a razor-thin majority and criticism from his right flank regarding how he handled the battle over government financing. Greene’s proposal to remove Johnson will loom over the GOP conference as it deliberates what to do next in the 118th Congress, beginning on Friday, when the House begins a two-week recess.

Johnson outlined the conservative gains in the package and hailed the bill early on Thursday morning.

“This FY24 appropriations legislation is a serious commitment to strengthening our national defense by expanding support for our brave men and women who serve in uniform and moving the Pentagon toward a focus on its core mission,” Johnson said in a statement.

Progressives and far-right members of the House criticized the law for different reasons as they sparred over the deal on Thursday.

Republican Representative Chip Roy of Texas told CNN that leadership “owns the bill” and that he will not support any other Republicans who vote in favor of it, calling it a “failure.”

He said to CNN’s Manu Raju, “I would have a very difficult time doing that.” “If this bill passes, the Republican conference is a failure.”

Progressive members of the House have also expressed disapproval, with some saying they will vote against it due to provisions that would halt funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees for a year due to allegations that UNRWA staff members were involved in the attack against Israel on October 7.

Johnson’s speakership may face a comparable threat in light of McCarthy’s demise, but many Republicans have made it plain that they do not want another speakership in light of the severe division and mayhem that McCarthy’s departure caused.

The departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Food and Drug Administration, and other federal programs were all funded by the separate six-bill funding package that President Joe Biden signed into law earlier this month.

The headline and story have been changed to take into account new information.