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The Senate passed the government funding bill early Saturday, averting a partial shutdown and ending a protracted battle that has loomed on both sides of the Capitol for months.
The bill will next be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature, which he is expected to sign on Saturday.
The vote marks a key moment in ending an annual spending process that has dragged on far longer than usual. The process has been punctuated by partisan policy disagreements and a historic change in House leadership by conservatives. Last year, it ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in an unprecedented vote.
Although final passage came past the midnight deadline, the Senate’s action effectively prevented any funding or government dysfunction, and the federal government is now funded through the end of the fiscal year.
The Senate vote came after a tumultuous day at the Capitol, highlighting how slim the majorities in both chambers are and how tensions are running high among lawmakers. Shortly after the House voted to pass the bill that the Senate is considering, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to remove Johnson from the speakership. The resolution does not require immediate action, but it represents the most formal and severe challenge to the Speaker’s leadership since he took office late last year. The final vote in the House was 286-134, with 112 Republicans and 22 Democrats voting no.
Despite a vote in the House early Friday morning, the vote in the Senate was delayed for several hours amid negotiations on a deal that would speed passage through the chamber. Republicans had called for a vote on a controversial amendment that would put some vulnerable Senate Democrats in a politically difficult position.
This funding bill addresses a range of important government services, including the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, Department of State, and the Legislature.
Lawmakers unveiled the $1.2 trillion government funding package just before 3 a.m. ET on Thursday, and it spans more than 1,000 pages.
Schumer said Thursday that the bill’s text was introduced “at the last minute,” with less than 48 hours left before the deadline for a partial government shutdown. The Democratic leader added: “Congress must hurry to pass this policy before government funding runs out this Friday.” “If the House takes action, the Senate will need bipartisan cooperation to pass the bill by Friday’s deadline and avoid a shutdown.” He mentioned the possibility of a partial closure.
After months of trying to avoid an eleventh-hour shutdown with stopgap legislation, Congress finally passed a package of six bills in early March to fund the agency for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Mr Johnson, who won the gavel after Mr McCarthy’s ouster, has a razor-thin majority and faces a backlash from the right over his handling of the fight over government funding. The House of Representatives will go into a two-week recess on Friday, and Greene’s resolution calling for Johnson’s ouster will be considered by the Republican conference, which will consider its next steps in the 118th Congress.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised the bill early Thursday, outlining a victory for conservatives in the package.
“This FY24 spending bill strengthens our national defense by focusing the Department of Defense on its core mission while expanding support for the brave men and women who serve in uniform,” Prime Minister Johnson said in a statement. This is a serious effort.”
On Thursday, House members on both sides of the aisle slammed the deal, with progressives and far-right lawmakers criticizing the bill for a variety of reasons.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told CNN he would not support Republican lawmakers who vote for the bill, saying leadership “owns the bill” and calling the bill a “failure.” Stated.
“It would be very difficult to do something like that,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju. “If this bill passes, the Republican conference will fail.”
House progressives were also critical, with some indicating they would vote against a provision that would block funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees for one year amid allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the October 7 attack on Israel. There are some too.
Mr. McCarthy’s fate raises questions about whether Mr. Johnson could face a similar threat to his own speakership, but many Republicans have expressed concern about the vitriol caused by Mr. McCarthy’s removal from office. The party has made it clear that it does not want another presidential election due to the internal conflict and confusion.
Another six-bill funding package signed by President Joe Biden earlier this month includes funding for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development. was. Food and Drug Administration, military construction, and other federal programs.
This article and heading have been updated to reflect further developments.
CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.
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