Congress has averted a government shutdown just hours before the deadline, passing a bipartisan bill that temporarily funds federal operations and disaster aid without including President-elect Donald Trump’s demand for a debt limit increase.
The House voted 366-34 in favor of the bill, while the Senate approved it 85-11. The White House announced at midnight that preparations for a shutdown had ceased.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he spoke with Trump and received his approval for the deal, but many Democrats were unhappy with the outcome. “So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill?” asked billionaire Elon Musk, who called in legislative plays from afar.
The final bill would fund federal operations at current levels through March 14 and add $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers. It does not include Trump’s demand for raising the debt ceiling, which GOP leaders said they would debate as part of their tax and border packages in the new year.
The deal is seen as a victory for Democrats, who were opposed to the original bipartisan bill that Trump and Musk rejected earlier. House Speaker Johnson had almost no choice but to work around Trump’s pressure, knowing there wouldn’t be enough support within the GOP majority to pass any funding package.
President Joe Biden, who played a less public role in the process, is expected to sign the measure into law Saturday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “There will be no government shutdown.”
Source: https://apnews.com/article/trump-government-shutdown-deadline-speaker-johnson-budget-da117337aa0c0adab34a5626bb5816af