Congress Votes to Extend Government Funding, Avoiding Shutdown

A short-term budget package that would keep federal agencies funded until March and prevent an impending partial government shutdown was delivered to President Joe Biden by Congress on Thursday.

By a vote of 314 to 108, the House adopted the bill; the more conservative members of the Republican conference were primarily against it.

The House Freedom Caucus said that it "strongly opposes" the legislation just before the vote, citing the fact that it would allow for more expenditure than they are in favor of.

Still, over half of Republicans voted with Democrats to approve the third temporary funding bill in as many months. The Senate passed the measure by a majority of 77-18, and the action took place a few hours later.

The plan maintains current spending levels while giving the two houses more time to resolve their disagreements over full-year spending measures for the October-starting fiscal year.

Government Operations Extended Amid Funding Deadlines

In addition to extending government operations through March 8, the short-term budget extension is designed to run until March 1 for several federal agencies that have a funding deadline this Friday.

President Biden will sign the resolution, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who also urged House Republicans to emphasize bipartisan efforts in enacting comprehensive, full-year financing legislation.

By supporting the President's supplementary request, Jean-Pierre underlined the importance of addressing urgent domestic and national security objectives and urged Republicans to stop using delaying tactics on political budget legislation.

The extreme wing of Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been pressuring him to abandon the $1.66 trillion budget deal that he and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer negotiated earlier this month for the funding bills. Rep. Chip Roy, a Republican from Texas, pushed his colleagues to vote against the continuing resolution, saying it will make that agreement easier. It was passed on Thursday.

Centrist party members continue to back Johnson's unwavering adherence to the agreement. They contend that to go off course now would be to violate his commitment and jeopardize the speaker's standing in any further talks.

The majority Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Representative Rosa DeLauro, stressed that the public expects Congress to work across party lines and govern. DeLauro voiced worry about some of his colleagues' lack of concern for the possible harm that may result from a government shutdown.

Since gaining control of the House at the beginning of 2023, Republicans have engaged in acrimonious debates over policy and budgetary limits.

Kevin McCarthy, the Republican Speaker of the House from California, was removed by his colleagues in October following his first successful agreement with Democrats to prolong existing spending. In an election year, Johnson has faced criticism as he has struggled to please his constituents and prevent a government shutdown.

To now, the majority of House Republicans have been silent when it comes to Johnson's job being in jeopardy. However, even a small number of Republicans rising up might jeopardize his standing in the sharply split House.