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WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a stopgap funding bill Wednesday night, putting off the GOP fight over spending and the threat of a government shutdown until after the holidays.
The bipartisan vote was 87-11, with 10 Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado, voting against the bill.
“Thanks to bipartisan cooperation, we are keeping the government open without poison pills or harmful cuts to vital programs – a great outcome for the American people,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said before the vote.
The short-term bill, known as continuing resolution or CR, cleared the house on Tuesdaytoand with a lopsided vote of 336 to 95, with all but two dissenting votes coming from Republicans. The funding bill now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his expected signature.
“If the president is willing to work with Democrats and resist the siren song of the hard right in the House,” Schumer continued, “then we can avoid future shutdowns and finish the job of funding the government.”
Without the CR, government funding would have dried up by Friday night. New House Speaker Mike Johnson’s tiered or “staggered” CR would fund part of the government, including the departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs, through Jan. 19 and would fund the Department of Defense and the remaining parts of the government. until February 2.
Passing a two-part CR that funds the government for the New Year will prevent Congress from adopting another massive omnibus spending package just before Christmas, argued Johnson, R-La.
The Czech Republic is “clean,” with no spending cuts or controversial policy provisions that would alienate Democrats. It also does not include a complementary package covering things like aid for Israel and Ukraine, humanitarian assistance or border security, leaving those issues for later this year.
The CR is designed to buy more time for House Republicans to pass appropriations bills and for House and Senate negotiators to reach a deal on funding. The House approved seven of the 12 annual appropriations bills that fund the government for a full fiscal year, while the Senate approved three.
But as recently as Wednesday, House Republicans were struggling to advance their individual appropriations bills throughout the year. intraparty divisions over amendmentsraising questions about whether the House will be able to complete its spending bills before upcoming funding deadlines.
Johnson and his leadership team sent House lawmakers home for the Thanksgiving holiday early Wednesday after two appropriations bills ran into trouble.
“We’re demanding of our leadership: Get the right bills on the floor with the right policy at the right levels, and then we’ll vote on them,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., chairman of the far-right Freedom Caucus, who led the opposition. “But don’t act like you’re really trying to hit the right spending level, and don’t act like you’re really going to fight for these issues when you plan to fail.”
Still, Johnson played down questions about whether he is frustrated by the setbacks.
“No, we are not frustrated. This is part of the process. We are working towards consensus,” Johnson said after the votes were cancelled. “I’ve been on the job less than three weeks. I think we’ve had a great run.”
When asked if House Democrats’ morale was high amid GOP infighting, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., recounted his weekly report to the Congressional Black Caucus Wednesday was short and concise.
“No spending cuts, no far-right political changes, no government shutdown, no voting tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving,” he said. “That’s the kind of report that, when you can give it, means morale is very high.”
Did Jeffries have any advice for the new speaker? – continued a journalist.
“Good luck!” she joked.
Frank Thorp V and Garrett Haake contributed.
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