President Joe Biden signed a short-term funding bill into law on Friday, successfully averting a partial shutdown ahead of the looming midnight deadline.
What You Need To Know
- The House voted Friday for a short-term funding bill, beating a midnight deadline to avert a partial government shutdown
- The measure passed 230-201 and now heads to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it
- The Senate approved the funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, on Thursday by a 72-25 vote
- It keeps the government funded through Dec. 16, after the midterm elections in November, buying lawmakers more time to come to an accord on a long-term funding measure
In a brief statement from the White House, Biden thanked “Senators Schumer, McConnell, Leahy, and Shelby, Speaker Pelosi and Representative DeLauro, and many others for their leadership” in pushing the bill through Congress.
The measure passed the House of Representatives hours earlier in a 230-201 vote; the Senate approved the funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, on Thursday by a 72-25 vote.
House Republicans overwhelmingly opposed the measure. Some wanted to extend government funding into January when, based on the results of the mid-term elections, it’s possible they’ll have more leverage over setting federal spending for the full fiscal year. Others argued the measure needed to do more to address border security.
Democrats said passing the bill was important to helping Ukraine as well as victims of recent natural disasters in the U.S., including Hurricane Ian, as it provides a Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster fund with a year’s worth of money up front rather than for two-and-a-half months.
“Turn on the news. Look what’s happening in Florida right now. Look at what happened to Puerto Rico. Look at what’s happening in Alaska. I mean, people need help,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. “And look at what’s happening in Ukraine. Do we support helping preserve democracy in Ukraine or not? That’s what’s at stake here.”
But Republicans complained the bill brought to the floor was not subject to bipartisan negotiations in the House and didn’t reflect their priorities.
“We know we have a crisis on the southern border. You can turn on the television every night. You can look at the fentanyl pouring into the country, You can see the tragedy of human trafficking. Is there anything in this bill that asks us to do anything different, anything new?” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. “No, you just ask, ‘please allow us to continue the current state of affairs on the southern border.’ That is a travesty.”
It keeps the government funded through Dec. 16, after the midterm elections in November, buying lawmakers more time to come to an accord on a long-term funding measure.
The bill includes approximately $12 billion in assistance to Ukraine — including, notably, $35 million “to prepare for and respond to potential nuclear and radiological incidents in Ukraine,” according to a fact sheet released by lawmakers — as well as $20 million in emergency funding to address the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, $2.5 billion for recovery efforts from New Mexico’s Hermit’s Peak/Calf Canyon fire and $1 billion for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
“Seven months since the conflict began, it’s crystal clear that American assistance has gone a long way to helping the Ukrainian people resist [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s evil, vicious aggression,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday. “But the fight is far from over.”
Republican leader Mitch McConnell also voiced support for the Ukraine aid, calling on the Biden administration to get the funding out faster.
“Assisting Ukraine is not some feel-good, symbolic gesture,” McConnell said. “It’s literally an investment in our own national security and that of our allies.”
The bill also includes funding for resettlement of Afghan refugees and a five-year extension of FDA user fees, which ensures the agency can continue critical product safety reviews and won’t need to issue pink slips for thousands of employees working on drug and medical device applications. An additional $18.8 billion was included for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to respond to current and future disasters, such as Hurricane Ian, which hit Florida on Wednesday.
One thing missing from the bill is billions of dollars in additional funding that Biden sought to aid the response to COVID-19 and monkeypox. Republicans criticized the health spending as unnecessary. The White House said the money would have been used to accelerate the research and development of vaccines and therapeutics, prepare for future COVID variants and support the global response.
The bill’s passage is the last must-do item on lawmakers’ list before returning to their home states and districts to campaign before the midterm elections that will determine which party controls the House and Senate over the next two years. Lawmakers were anxious to get out of Washington and focus on campaigning without the specter of a shutdown.
Correction: An earlier version of this article included an incorrect vote total in the House.
