WASHINGTON — U.S. senators are racing to pass a bipartisan federal spending deal in time to avoid a government shutdown that would likely begin if the Senate fails to approve legislation passed by the House.
The bill scheduled to be voted on tonight allows the federal government to continue funding at current levels for three months and provides more disaster relief and farm aid.
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the measure on Friday evening, with support from all Democrats and more than three-quarters of Republicans. The tally exceeded the two-thirds threshold required to pass the lengthy House committee process.
In the Senate, the bill is expected to pass by more than 60 votes, crossing that chamber's threshold to move to final passage.
These high bars reflect a desire by both parties to avoid a costly shutdown that could jeopardize the paychecks of hundreds of thousands of federal employees just days before Christmas.
If the Senate approves the bill in its current form, outgoing President Joe Biden is expected to quickly sign it into law.
“Although it does not include everything we sought…President Biden supports moving forward with this legislation,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Friday.
While midnight on Friday is the expiration date of the current government funding bill, the shutdown does not automatically begin the moment the clock strikes twelve. To initiate a decommissioning process, the Office of Management and Budget must issue a decommissioning order.
If Senate votes are underway, as they were on Friday, and a funding extension bill is on track to pass, the Office of Management and Budget typically stops short of issuing guidance.
Friday's dramatic votes cap several days of chaos on Capitol Hill, during which House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles, tried and failed to meet the demands of President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump and billionaire campaign donor Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, killed an initial negotiated financing plan on Wednesday by harshly criticizing its provisions, leaving Republicans scrambling for much of Thursday to find an alternative plan.
Specifically, Trump insisted that any agreement to keep the government open must include a two-year suspension of the US debt limit. The cap is the maximum the federal government can borrow to pay for its spending.
The debt ceiling is a bitter debate that recurs in Washington every few years, one in which the political party in the minority usually has a great deal of influence. Trump seems keen to avoid this battle during the beginning of his second term in office.
But allowing the United States to borrow more money is a bridge too far in the eyes of many hardline conservative Republicans.
This was evident when the bill introduced on Thursday, which included basic government funding and increased debt limits, was resoundingly defeated. Nearly all Democrats were joined by 38 rank-and-file Republicans who voted against the deal, after their party's leader publicly backed the deal.
Like Thursday's failed vote, Friday's passage — without raising Trump's debt limit — served as a reminder for the incoming president how difficult it will be to control the notoriously divided House Republican caucus.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
