Government funding bill clears Congress, averting a shutdown

WASHINGTON — Dealing with a authorities shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed via closing passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that might quickly fund federal operations and catastrophe help, dropping President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for for a debt restrict improve into the brand new yr.

Home Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted Congress would “meet our obligations” and never permit federal operations to shutter forward of the Christmas vacation season. However the day’s final result was unsure after Trump doubled down on his insistence {that a} debt ceiling improve be included in any deal — if not, he mentioned in an early morning submit, let the closures “begin now.”

The Home accepted Johnson’s new invoice overwhelmingly, 366-34. The Senate labored into the evening to move it, 85-11, simply previous the deadline. At midnight, the White Home mentioned it had ceased shutdown preparations.

Authorities staff had beforehand been informed to organize for a federal shutdown that might ship tens of millions of staff — and members of the army — into the vacation season with out paychecks.

“This can be a good final result for the nation,” Johnson mentioned after the Home vote, including he had spoken with Trump and the president-elect “was actually glad about this final result, as nicely.”

President Joe Biden, who has performed a much less public position within the course of all through a turbulent week, was anticipated to signal the measure into regulation Saturday.

“There will likely be no authorities shutdown,” Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer mentioned.

The ultimate product was the third try from Johnson, the beleaguered Home speaker, to realize one of many fundamental necessities of the federal authorities — protecting it open. And it raised stark questions on whether or not Johnson will be capable to hold his job, within the face of offended GOP colleagues, and work alongside Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk, who referred to as the legislative performs from afar.

Trump’s last-minute demand was nearly an unimaginable ask, and Johnson had nearly no alternative however to work round his stress for a debt ceiling improve. The speaker knew there wouldn’t be sufficient help throughout the GOP majority to move any funding bundle, since many Republican deficit hawks favor to slash federal authorities and definitely wouldn’t permit extra debt.

As a substitute, the Republicans, who could have full management of the White Home, Home and Senate subsequent yr, with massive plans for tax cuts and different priorities, are displaying they need to routinely depend on Democrats for the votes wanted to maintain up with the routine operations of governing.

“So is that this a Republican invoice or a Democrat invoice?” scoffed Musk on social media forward of the vote.

The drastically slimmed-down 118-page bundle would fund the federal government at present ranges via March 14 and add $100 billion in catastrophe help and $10 billion in agricultural help to farmers.

Gone is Trump’s demand to carry the debt ceiling, which GOP leaders informed lawmakers can be debated as a part of their tax and border packages within the new yr. Republicans made a so-called handshake settlement to lift the debt restrict at the moment whereas additionally slicing $2.5 trillion in spending over 10 years.

It’s primarily the identical deal that flopped the evening earlier than in a spectacular setback opposed by most Democrats and a few of the most conservative Republicans — minus Trump’s debt ceiling demand.

But it surely’s far smaller than the unique bipartisan accord Johnson struck with Democratic and Republican leaders — a 1,500-page invoice that Trump and Musk rejected, forcing him to begin over. It was full of a protracted checklist of different payments — together with much-derided pay raises for lawmakers — but additionally different measures with broad bipartisan help that now have a more durable path to turning into regulation.

Home Democrats have been cool to the newest effort after Johnson reneged on the hard-fought bipartisan compromise.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the highest Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, mentioned it seemed like Musk, the wealthiest man on the planet, was calling the photographs for Trump and Republicans.

“Who’s in cost?” she requested through the debate.

Nonetheless, the Democrats put up extra votes than Republicans for the invoice’s passage. Nearly three dozen conservative Republicans voted towards it.

“The Home Democrats have efficiently stopped excessive MAGA Republicans from shutting down the federal government, crashing the economic system and hurting working-class People all throughout the nation,” Home Democratic Chief Hakeem Jeffries mentioned after the vote, referring to Trump’s “Make America Nice Once more” slogan.

RELATED

Trump, who has not but been sworn into workplace, is displaying the facility but additionally the boundaries of his sway with Congress, as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who’s heading up the brand new Division of Authorities Effectivity.

The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal finances and hearth hundreds of staff and is relying on Republicans for a giant tax bundle. And Trump’s not afraid of shutdowns the best way lawmakers are, having sparked the longest authorities shutdown in historical past in his first time period on the White Home.

“If there may be going to be a shutdown of presidency, let it start now,” Trump posted early within the morning on social media.

Extra necessary for the president-elect was his demand for pushing the thorny debt ceiling debate off the desk earlier than he returns to the White Home. The federal debt restrict expires Jan. 1, and Trump doesn’t need the primary months of his new administration saddled with robust negotiations in Congress to carry the nation’s borrowing capability. Now Johnson will likely be on the hook to ship.

“Congress should do away with, or lengthen out to, maybe, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” Trump posted — growing his demand for a brand new five-year debt restrict improve. “With out this, we should always by no means make a deal.”

Biden has been in discussions with Jeffries and Schumer, however White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned: “Republicans blew up this deal. They did, and they should repair this.”

Because the day dragged on, Senate Republican Chief Mitch McConnell stepped in to remind colleagues “how dangerous it’s to close the federal government down, and the way silly it’s to guess your individual facet gained’t take the blame for it.”

At one level, Johnson requested Home Republicans at a lunchtime assembly for a present of fingers as they tried to decide on the trail ahead.

It wasn’t simply the shutdown, however the speaker’s job on the road. The speaker’s election is the primary vote of the brand new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, and a few Trump allies have floated Musk for speaker.

Johnson mentioned he spoke to Musk forward of the vote Friday and so they talked concerning the “extraordinary challenges of this job.”

Related Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick, Darlene Superville and Invoice Barrow contributed to this report.