Senate Passes Emergency Bill to Prevent Government Shutdown Amid Fiscal Tensions
The Senate successfully passed a stopgap spending bill early Saturday morning, narrowly avoiding a partial government shutdown as the midnight deadline approached. With a significant majority of 85-11, the legislation now awaits President Biden’s approval, Fox News reported.
This measure incorporates substantial disaster aid and assistance for farmers, but it falls short of the debt ceiling suspension that President-elect Donald Trump requested.
Initial resistance to the spending bill emerged from high-profile conservative figures, including billionaire Elon Musk, who expressed discontent with its provisions. His criticism drew ire from Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote in an X post.
“Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is Schumer and Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief,” Trump and Vance said in a lengthy statement opposing the bill on Wednesday afternoon.
The bill’s original draft spanned more than 1,500 pages and aimed to extend government funding until Mar. 14, including over $100 billion in disaster relief provisions following recent storms, Fox News reported.
As the national debt climbs beyond $36 trillion, concerns about fiscal responsibility have intensified. A competing proposal from House Republicans, which sought a debt ceiling suspension alongside additional economic measures, failed to garner support from Democrats and a portion of Republicans.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic leaders signaled their readiness to remain in session throughout the Christmas period to counter any influence from Musk on congressional decisions. The final spending bill retains elements from previous iterations, emphasizing support for disaster-affected regions and economic relief for farmers but omitting the contentious debt ceiling suspension.
Following the short-term funding bill’s passage, 366 members of the House voted in favor, surpassing the necessary two-thirds margin.
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