On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives successfully passed a temporary spending bill aimed at averting a government shutdown. The bipartisan support for the legislation, designed to extend government funding through mid-January, was evident as it now moves to the Senate, where leaders from both Democratic and Republican parties have expressed their backing.
To prevent a government shutdown by Friday’s midnight deadline when the current funding for federal agencies expires, both the Senate and the Republican-controlled House must pass a bill that President Joe Biden can sign into law. The 336-95 vote marked a significant victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who, in the first consequential vote of his tenure, faced opposition from some fellow Republicans.
With only a slim 221-213 majority, Johnson can’t afford to lose more than three Republican votes on legislation that Democrats oppose. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, expressed satisfaction with the bill’s strong bipartisan support and pledged to collaborate with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to expedite its passage.
The temporary spending bill proposes to extend government funding at current levels into 2024, providing lawmakers with additional time to formulate detailed spending bills covering diverse areas from the military to scientific research. However, some Republicans on the party’s right flank expressed frustration over the bill’s omission of steep spending cuts and desired border-security measures.
The bill secured passage with 209 Democratic and 127 Republican votes, while 93 Republicans and two Democrats opposed it. Johnson’s predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, faced removal by a few Republicans after a similar vote in September that relied on Democratic support to prevent a shutdown. Nevertheless, hardline conservatives clarified that their dissatisfaction with the bill did not translate into opposition against Johnson.
Representative Bob Good stated, “We don’t support it. But we do support him.” Meanwhile, others acknowledged the less-than-ideal nature of the bill, with Representative Mike Garcia noting, “This isn’t ideal, but a shutdown is a far worse world to be in.”
Johnson’s proposed bill would extend funding for various sectors, including military construction, veterans benefits, transportation, housing, urban development, agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and energy and water programs through January 19. Funding for all other federal operations, including defense, would expire on February 2. This marks Congress’s third fiscal standoff this year, following the spring impasse over the US debt, leading Moody’s to downgrade its credit rating outlook on the US to “negative” from “stable” due to ongoing partisan gridlock and the resultant impact on borrowing costs.