WASHINGTON — The House approved a bipartisan federal spending bill Friday, sending it to the Senate, just hours before a midnight deadline to fund the government. It was unclear Friday whether the Senate could pass the bill before 12 a.m. ET, when the funding technically expires.
The bill would continue funding the federal government at current levels for three months to provide disaster relief and agricultural assistance.
The bill, which passed with significant Democratic support and a two-thirds vote of the members present, would open up large-scale government agencies that could threaten the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of federal workers just days before Christmas. The bar was high, reflecting both parties’ desire to avoid closure.
The bill has a realistic path to passing the Democratic-controlled Senate. But parliamentary procedure in the House of Representatives gives individual senators the power to block the bill.
If the bill passes the Senate in its current form, outgoing President Joe Biden is expected to quickly sign it into law.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Friday that “while it does not include everything we asked for…President Biden supports moving this bill forward.”
The House vote ended days of chaos at the Capitol during which Johnson unsuccessfully tried to meet President-elect Donald Trump’s demands.
President Trump and billionaire campaign donor Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday doomed the original negotiated financing plan by harshly criticizing its provisions, and Republicans on Thursday Most of the work was devoted to formulating a plan to raise funds. exchange plan.
Specifically, President Trump argued that any agreement to keep the government open must include a two-year suspension of the U.S. debt ceiling. This limit is the maximum amount that the federal government can borrow to pay for spending.
The debt ceiling is a heated debate that recurs every few years in Washington, and minority parties usually have the most influence. President Trump appears to be hoping to avoid this conflict at the start of his second term.
But allowing the U.S. to borrow more is a bridge too far for many hardline conservative Republicans.
This was evident as of Thursday invoicePolicies that included minimum government funding and raising the debt ceiling were a landslide. Nearly all Democrats were joined by 38 rank-and-file Republicans who voted against the deal after party leaders publicly supported the deal.
Like Thursday’s failed vote, Friday’s passage without President Trump’s debt ceiling increase served as a reminder to the president-elect of how difficult it will be to control the notoriously difficult House Republican caucus.
This is a developing story. Please check back for the latest information.
