Senate Staves Off Government Shutdown by Passing Stopgap Funding Bill

The Senate passed a stopgap funding bill Wednesday night to stave off the threat of a government shutdown until early next year. The bill had been approved by the House on Tuesday, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) refusing to include steep spending cuts in order to obtain Democratic support. The measure is now expected to be signed by President Joe Biden. Without it, the federal government would have shut down early Saturday morning. The legislation funds about 20 percent of the government—including the Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation and Veteran Affairs departments—through Jan. 19, and everything else through Feb. 2. It does not include aid to Ukraine or Israel. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) seemed pleased by the development. “No spending cuts, no right-wing extreme policy changes, no government shutdown, no votes tomorrow,” he told reporters. “Happy Thanksgiving.”