The House of Representatives passed a measure on Wednesday that will extend government funding until Dec. 20, sending it to the Senate to prevent the shutdown of federal agencies, which would otherwise occur at 11:59 p.m. on Monday. This move postpones another potential budget conflict until after the upcoming election during the lame-duck session.
In a 341-82 vote, the House approved the bill to maintain current government funding levels for the next three months, with all the opposition coming from Republicans.
A total of 132 Republicans joined 209 Democrats in supporting the bill.
Additionally, the legislation provides an extra $231 billion to the US Secret Service following concerns about the agency’s capacity after two assassination attempts targeting former President Donald Trump.
Due to procedural obstacles set by Republicans on the House Rules Committee, the funding bill required a two-thirds majority to pass, rather than following the usual route.
“With the fiscal year ending soon and Senate Democrats failing to pass a single appropriations bill or agree on a spending framework for FY 2025, this continuing resolution is the only viable option,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stated in a letter to his GOP colleagues on Sunday.
“This is not the ideal solution, but it is the most responsible course given the current situation,” Johnson added. “History and recent polls show that shutting down the government so close to an important election would be a serious political misstep.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) assured on Wednesday morning that the Senate would easily pass the resolution, surpassing the 60-vote requirement, and move it to President Biden for his signature.
“The agreement reached last night contains no toxic amendments,” Schumer remarked. “Americans can relax, knowing that both parties have chosen to work together.”
In January, Schumer and Johnson had settled on a total spending cap of $1.66 trillion through Sept. 30.
On Tuesday, the White House confirmed it would sign the funding bill into law, noting in a statement that it would “allow Congress additional time to pass full-year appropriations later this year, benefiting national defense, veterans, seniors, children, working families, and responding to pressing needs like disaster relief.”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a member of the House Rules Committee, expressed concern earlier this week during a hearing, arguing that the Speaker’s actions would only “create a funding crisis right before Christmas,” pressuring members to approve another temporary spending bill before they could return home for the holidays.
“We should just fund everything for a full year,” Massie urged his colleagues.
A previous six-month funding proposal, which included stronger measures to prevent non-citizens from voting, was rejected by the House last week after facing pushback from fiscal conservatives and defense-focused Republicans like House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.).
The federal fiscal year begins annually on Oct. 1, but Congress has not managed to pass the 12 required appropriations bills by the deadline since the late 1990s.
Wednesday marked the final legislative day for the House before members return to their districts to focus on their re-election campaigns.
The House is scheduled to reconvene on Nov. 12.
{Matzav.com}