Washington – President Joe Biden signed a government funding bill which was postponed on saturday government shutdown And it ends a chaotic, high-stakes week in Congress.
the White House said in a statement That the bill has been signed. Biden has made no public statements following the 11th-hour congressional talks that led to the bipartisan US Senate approval federal spending bill.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Friday, “While it does not include everything we had hoped for… President Biden supports advancing this legislation.”
US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, US on December 10, 2024.
Kevin Lamarck | reuters
Bill Authorizes continued funding of the federal government at existing levels for three months and provides additional disaster relief and agricultural assistance.
The House approved the measure by a landslide Friday evening, 366 to 34, with the support of every Democrat and more than three-quarters of Republicans.
In the Senate, the bill passed shortly after midnight by 85 votes to 11. With no votes, 10 votes were cast by Republicans and one came from the senator. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who sides with the Democrats.
The strong support for the stopgap funding bill reflected a desire in both parties to avoid a costly shutdown that could have threatened the pay of hundreds of thousands of federal workers just days before Christmas.
The dramatic votes in both the House and Senate capped days of chaos on Capitol Hill, during which House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., tried and failed to meet the president-elect’s demands. Donald Trump.
Trump and his billionaire campaign donors Elon MuskThe Tesla The CEO, on Wednesday, ruined an early, negotiated funding plan by harshly criticizing its provisions, leaving Republicans struggling to find answers for much of Thursday. a replacement,
In particular, Trump insisted that any deal to keep the government open must include a two-year suspension of the US debt ceiling. This limit is the maximum that the federal government can borrow to pay for its expenses.
The debt ceiling is a recurring, bitter debate in Washington every few years and one where the political party in the minority usually has much of the leverage. Trump seems eager to avoid this fight at the beginning of his second term.
But authorizing the US to borrow more money seems a step too far for many hard-line conservative Republicans.
Its hallmark was seen on Thursday BillIncluding disorderly government funding and debt ceiling increases, it was defeated badly. Nearly every Democrat was joined by 38 rank-and-file Republicans who voted in opposition. this, after them The party leader had publicly supported the deal.
Like Thursday’s failed vote, Friday’s passage — without Trump’s debt ceiling increase — serves as a reminder to the incoming president how difficult it is to control the notoriously contentious House Republican caucus.
