Senate approves 45-day funding extension, sends to Biden for signature
With just hours to go before a possible government shutdown, both Democrats and Republicans came to an agreement.
“I have very good news for the country,” Majority Leader of the United States Senate Chuck Schumer said on the floor late Saturday. “Democrats and Republicans have come to an agreement, and the government will remain open. We will have avoided a shutdown. Bipartisanship … has prevailed.”
The Senate has given the green light to a short-term funding bill, extending government operations at their current funding levels for an additional 45 days.
The White House confirmed to Scripps News that President Joe Biden will sign the short-term funding bill as soon as it reaches his desk, averting a government shutdown.
This last-minute bill is intended to prevent a shutdown by providing temporary funding for the federal government before the midnight deadline.
However, it’s important to note that this bill does not allocate any new funds for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
In a statement Saturday, House Democratic leadership said they expect House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to schedule a separate vote for a Ukraine aid bill.
“When the House returns, we expect Speaker McCarthy to advance a bill to the House Floor for an up-or-down vote that supports Ukraine, consistent with his commitment to making sure that Vladimir Putin, Russia and authoritarianism are defeated. We must stand with the Ukrainian people until victory is won,” the joint statement read.
The bill garnered bipartisan support when it was passed in the House earlier Saturday, after it underwent swift developments and gained backing from nearly all House Democrats, with just one exception. The lone Democrat who voted against the bill was Congressman Mike Quigley.
McCarthy made a drastic change in course, deciding to rely on bipartisanship and Democratic votes rather than risk a government shutdown.
The deal frustrated many far-right conservatives in the House who voted against it. They wanted much deeper cuts.
“Here’s the deal: I fought for the speaker. I fought for the gavel. When it comes to appropriations, you better bet I’m going to use my voting card to make sure this place does its job,” said Georgia Representative Marjoie Taylor Greene.
SEE MORE: Read full document: House GOP releases 45-day spending plan
The last-minute deal was very different from what Speaker McCarthy initially wanted. For weeks, he demanded changes at the border, including policy changes and possibly restarting construction on President Donald Trump’s border wall.
“I tried yesterday with the most conservative stop-gap funding bill you could find that secured our border that cut spending, and I couldn’t get 218 Republicans on,” McCarthy said.
Had the Senate not approved the bill, a government shutdown loomed at midnight, with far-reaching consequences for millions of federal workers, military personnel nationwide, and certain low-income assistance programs.
Now the question is: Can Speaker McCarthy keep his job after cutting a deal backed by so many Democrats? Remember, under House rules, any one member can file a motion to remove him as speaker. That fight may happen next week.
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