House Passes Stopgap Spending Bill
WASHINGTON — The House approved a stopgap spending measure on Wednesday evening, averting a government shutdown just weeks ahead of the general election in November.
The final vote on the measure, which extends funding of the government at its current levels until Dec. 20, was 341-82, with 209 Democrats and 132 Republicans voting yes, and 82 Republicans voting no.
The legislation now moves to the Senate, which is expected to pass it later tonight and send it across town to President Joe Biden for his signature ahead of the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline.
[Update: The Senate voted 78-18 in favor of the stopgap bill, sending it on to the president.]House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had hoped to garner enough support from members of his party to pass the bill through regular procedural means, but ultimately had to advance it under a suspension of the rules due to opposition from hardcore conservatives in his conference.
While the passage of the spending bill is good news for members who dreaded having to go home and face the voters with the government shut down, the vote is really only a breather ahead of another possible shutdown threat at Christmastime.
Johnson has already said the House Republicans will not approve a large omnibus bill before Congress leaves town for the Christmas holiday, and the battle over spending is expected to be intense during the upcoming lame duck session.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
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