Senators voted to pass a new version of a stopgap spending bill early Saturday morning after the midnight deadline for a partial government shutdown came and went. The Senate advanced the third version of a short-term spending bill, which will now head to President Biden's desk for his signature.
The original agreement on a short-term spending bill, released earlier in the week, totaled 1,547 pages and included various policy provisions and disaster aid. However, the bill faced criticism from billionaire Elon Musk and other conservative critics, leading to condemnation from President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance.
The initial spending measure aimed to extend government funding levels for fiscal year 2024 through March 14, providing over $100 billion in disaster aid for regions affected by storms Helene and Milton, along with a $10 billion provision for economic assistance to farmers.
Despite efforts to revise the bill, including a proposal from House Republicans for a three-month extension of current funding levels and a debt limit suspension for two years, the revised measure failed to garner enough support in the House on Thursday night.
As the deadline loomed, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray warned of a potential partial government shutdown at midnight if Republicans did not return to the original stopgap bill.
Ultimately, a third version of the stopgap bill, similar to the one that failed previously, passed both the House and Senate. The bill included economic relief for farmers and disaster aid but did not include the debt ceiling suspension requested by Trump.
The House approved the short-term spending bill with 366 yes votes, surpassing the required two-thirds majority.
