Congress passed a stopgap spending bill to extend government funding into early next year, sending the bill to President Joe Biden’s desk in time to avert a government shutdown late on Friday evening.
Government funding briefly lapsed at the stroke of midnight on Saturday, but the Office of Management and Budget said that its agencies would not shut down and normal operations could continue after it became clear the Senate was about to vote the package through. Less than an hour later, the Senate voted 85-11 to pass the package.
The House voted earlier on Friday 366-34 to advance the package, overcoming the two-thirds majority needed to clear the lower chamber. The legislation, which did not include President-elect Donald Trump’s demand to attach a debt limit increase, then headed to the Democratic-led Senate for consideration. The Senate, however, was not quite able to get the vote on the legislation done before midnight.
The latest funding package punts the funding deadline until March 14 and provides an additional $110.4 billion in disaster aid and economic assistance for farmers. It also includes an extension of programs under the annual Farm Bill until the end of September 2025, among other provisions.
The bill is similar to the first continuing resolution package that was rejected on Thursday, but it does not include the debt limit provision that was opposed by GOP deficit hawks and was largely responsible for the first failed vote.