President Joe Biden has signed legislation on Saturday to avoid a government shutdown before Christmas.
The agreement funds the government until March 14 and provides $100 billion for disaster relief and 10 billion to farmers.
“This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity,” a statement from Biden read in part.
The bill was approved by Congress to keep the government running and prevent a shutdown. Just before the deadline, the bill was sent to President Biden.
To prevent a shutdown of the government, the House voted 366-34-1 in favor of supporting this legislation. After the Senate’s 85-11 vote, just after midnight on Tuesday night, the White House announced President Joe Biden will sign the bill.
Chuck Schumer said there would not be a shutdown of the federal government.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the bill “America’s First Legislation”.
Johnson, a journalist, said, ” We are grateful that all came together to do the right thing. “
This bill has over 1,500 pages and would fund government funding at the current level through March 14, 2025. It also includes an additional $100 billion in funding for disasters, emergencies, healthcare packages, and an extension of the Farm Bill.
The vote on Capitol Hill is likely to mark the end of weeks of heated debates.
Republicans have abandoned their plan to avoid a shutdown of the government after Elon Musk spoke out against it. Elon is a billionaire, and Donald Trump will be President-elect in January.
John Bolton, Trump’s former national security advisor, thinks Friday’s resolution is a defeat for Trump, and calls it “self-inflicted injury”.
Bolton said on Friday that Trump instigated a fight and that he had been beaten.
Bolton stated: “I think this vote on the Continuing Resolution will tell us a great deal about the future direction of Congress after the first day of a new year. “
What are the views of Republicans and Democrats?
Although the bill met the two-thirds threshold for passage, 34 Republican lawmakers opposed it.
In “CUOMO”, a Republican representative from New York who voted in favor of the bill dismissed concerns about a divided GOP.
Lawler said, “A number of my coworkers never voted for a [continuing Resolution] nor an increase in the debt ceiling. I’m not surprised. “
“We will have a united government and Republicans agree we must rein in federal spending.”
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Washington) accused the GOP of double-talking about fiscal responsibility.
Smith asked CUOMO: “Have they indicated one specific, singular cut that will be made? “
What does a spending bill mean?
The budget bill specifies the distribution of federal funds to departments, agencies, and programs in order to keep the government running.
The budget was a source of many disputes between Republicans and Democrats.
What was the dispute between the two parties?
Trump stated that he wouldn’t address the dispute over government funding without also addressing the issue of the debt ceiling.
When Trump rejected the spending proposal on Wednesday, he said that he wanted to settle debt ceiling debates before he takes office next month.
Trump warned Johnson and Republicans that they would be in serious trouble. He told Fox News Digital, “Anyone who supports a Bill which does not address Democrat Quicksand known as the Debt Limit, should be primaried, and disposed of as quickly as possible.”
Hakeem Jeffreys, Democratic Minority Leader after meeting with his caucus has rejected the idea that his members can bail out Republicans if a shutdown is imminent.
Jeffries wrote Thursday, “GOP extremes are asking House Democrats for an increase in the debt ceiling so that House Republicans can lower your Social Security Payment,”
Jeffries, Democrats, and Republicans agreed that Republicans must respect the agreement reached on spending before Trump got involved.
Which agencies would be affected if there was a shutdown?
Each federal agency has a plan for dealing with a shutdown. In essence, however, all non-essential government operations will cease. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees’ work will be interrupted.
Sometimes workers were furloughed. Furloughed workers retained their jobs but did not perform any work until the government reopened.
What role did Elon Musk play?
Musk halted a proposed budget that was bipartisan by posting constantly on X (formerly Twitter) and threatening Republicans with primary challenges.
Trump’s criticism of a measure negotiated by GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson was preceded by social media warnings. The temporary measure to avoid a partial shutdown was effectively snuffed out.
