In a recent development, the United States Congress has successfully onboarded an interim bill to prevent a partial shutdown of the federal government, now waiting for the approval of President Joe Biden. Temporary funding has been extended for some departments through March 8 and others until March 22 even as lawmakers work diligently to reconcile discrepancies on postponed full-year spending packages for the fiscal year that began on October 1 (Bloomberg Government) .
The bill was passed in the Senate with a 77-13 vote on Thursday night, only a few hours after it was voted upon in the House. The White House has confirmed that President Biden concurs with the short-term funding plan. In a statement expressing his sentiment on the matter, President Biden emphasized that the move was a temporary fix and urged Congress to finalize and pass full-year funding bills.
Speculations suggest that the extended agreement applies to government departments that account for nearly 27% of federal agency spending, with Republicans not expecting major victories when the agreement details are disclosed over the weekend.
On the other hand, the deal does not encompass any aid for Ukraine, a factor that House Republicans are holding up as they call for a range of new restrictions on US immigration and border policies. House Speaker Mike Johnson anticipated that the House might not act on Ukraine aid for at least another three weeks.
In a surprising turn of events, Johnson had to rely on the Democrats to ensure the stopgap passed in the House since 97 Republicans voted against the bill. Nevertheless, many conservatives indicated their willingness to overlook their dissatisfaction with the deal and let the speaker maintain his position, at least for the time being.
As for a larger package, funding has been sanctioned for departments such as Agriculture, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs and Energy including the Food and Drug Administration, that were facing a Saturday shutdown deadline. Funding for other government departments like Defense, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services will be a greater challenge to negotiate before the new March 22 deadline due to Republican efforts to limit funds for reproductive services and to change US migration laws.