Congress Approves Interim Funds to Avert US Government Shutdown

Congress approved temporary funding to avert a Saturday partial US government shutdown, sending the bill to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The interim measure would extend funds for some departments through March 8 and others through March 22 as lawmakers work out differences on delayed full-year spending packages for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.

The Senate passed the bill on a 77-13 vote on Thursday night, hours after the House acted on it. The White House has said Biden supports the temporary funding.

House Republican leaders agreed to the fourth interim spending measure of the fiscal year after reaching a deal with Democrats to fund parts of the government through Sept. 30.

“I am happy to inform the American people that there will be no government shutdown on Friday,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a prepared statement.

Biden said in a statement that the congressional action was good news but added: “I want to be clear: this is a short-term fix.”

“In the days ahead, Congress must do its job and pass full-year funding bills that deliver for the American people,” he said.

The longer-term agreement covers government departments accounting for about 27% of federal agency spending, and Republicans have been told to expect few victories when details of the agreement are released this weekend.

“This is the House GOP conference coming to terms with reality,” Representative Patrick McHenry said, noting the GOP does not control the Senate or White House. “In this environment, singles and doubles are wins.”

The deal doesn’t include any Ukraine aid, which House Republicans are holding up as they demand a range of new restrictions on US immigration and border policies. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he doesn’t expect the House to act on Ukraine aid for at least another three weeks.

Speaker’s Fate

Johnson relied on Democrats to pass the stopgap in the House, with 97 Republicans voting against the bill.

Emerging from a morning Republican meeting, several fatigued conservatives expressed discontent with the deal but signaled they would let the speaker keep his job, for now.

Pennsylvania Republican Scott Perry, a member of the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus, said he didn’t see any “wins” for his party in the spending talks, but said the speaker is not going to lose his job over it.

South Carolina Republican Ralph Norman, a vocal opponent of the spending deal, said there is no effort underway to oust Johnson. Texas Republican Chip Roy, another hardliner, dodged the question.

“This is the Swamp doing what the Swamp does,” he said.

It only takes three Republican dissidents to remove the speaker if all lawmakers are present and voting, unless Johnson wins support from Democrats, either by voting for him or abstaining from a vote on the speaker.

Larger Package

The longer-term deal reached this week includes funds for the departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs and Energy, along with the Food and Drug Administration. These faced a Saturday shutdown deadline. The deal also includes full-year funding for the the Environmental Protection Agency and departments of Commerce, Justice and Interior.

Funding the rest of the government — including the Defense, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services departments — will be more difficult to negotiate before the new March 22 deadline. Republicans have sought to limit funds for reproductive services and to change US migration laws.

“Those could be problematic,” warned House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar.

(Updates with Biden statement, starting in sixth paragraph.)

To contact the reporters on this story:
Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.net;
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