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Senators voted to pass a new version of the temporary spending bill early Saturday morning after a midnight deadline for partial government shutdown came and went.
The Senate advanced the third version of the short-term spending bill 85 to 11, and will now head to President Biden’s deskwho has already made it known that he will sign it.
The original agreement on the short-term spending account was announced earlier this week, a total of 1,547 pages and including numerous policy provisions and disaster relief.
But soon after the announcement, billionaire Elon Musk and other conservative critics publicly condemned the measure, ultimately resulting in the condemnation of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
Congress passed the short-term spending bill with just a few hours left until the shutdown deadline. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Republicans need to GET SMART and STRONGER. If Democrats are threatening to shut down the government if we don’t give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFFS. Schumer and Biden are the ones holding back aid to our farmers and disaster relief,” Trump and Vance said in in a lengthy statement opposing the bill Wednesday afternoon.
The initial spending measure would extend fiscal year 2024 state funding levels through March 14 and provide more than $100 billion in disaster relief for those affected by hurricanes Helena and Milton in the southeastern US earlier this year. The bill also included a $10 billion provision for economic assistance to farmers.
Meanwhile, as of Thursday, US national debt was $36,167,604,149,955.61 and continued to grow rapidly.
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Elon Musk was vocal against the first iteration of the bill. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The bill’s size, along with several other provisions, including a cost-of-living increase for lawmakers, prompted public backlash from Musk and others.
“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” he wrote on X.
After going back to the drawing board, House Republicans emerged Thursday with a new proposal. The revised measure would extend current funding levels by three months and include a suspension of the debt limit for two years, as requested by Trump.
In addition, he had economic relief for farmers and about $110 billion in disaster relief.
But the bill failed in the House of Representatives on Thursday night as Democrats united against it and a significant group of Republicans decided to oppose it.
Johnson had to find a new temporary account after Musk’s opposition. (Jean Catuffe/GC Images/Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“Old bill: 110 BB in deficit spending (unpaid), $0 increase in national credit card. New bill: 110 BB in deficit spending (unpaid), $4 TRILLION debt ceiling increase with $0 in structural reforms for cuts. Time to read the bill: 1.5 hours I’ll vote no,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote on Xu before the vote.
Roy was one of 38 House Republicans who opposed the temporary bill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Reuters)
As of Friday morning, there appeared to be no agreement between Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work together on new legislation. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the government would go into a partial shutdown at midnight if Republicans did not return to the original temporary bill .
“I’m prepared to stay here until Christmas because we’re not going to let Elon Musk run the government,” Murray said in a statement.
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The Democrats did not get their wish, which is to return to the original bill. (Reuters)
In remarks on the Senate floor, Schumer said the original bill would pass the House if Speaker Mike Johnson brought it up for a vote.
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The third measure, which was ultimately passed in the House of Representatives and the Senate, was similar to the one that fell the previous night. The bill included economic relief for farmers and disaster relief for those affected by recent storms. However, the final interim legislation did not include a suspension of the debt ceiling, which Trump himself requested.
The House of Representatives passed the short-term spending bill with 366 votes in favor, exceeding the required two-thirds.
