Legislature approves temporary measure to prevent government shutdown

The House and Senate approved a temporary bill on Thursday to prevent a partial government shutdown at the end of the week. This stopgap measure will keep the government running while finalizing and passing full-year funding bills. It includes two deadlines on March 8 and March 22. The next step is for President Joe Biden to sign the bill into law.

Congress was facing two shutdown deadlines in early March. If lawmakers didn't pass a stopgap before Friday, funding for key government agencies would have expired.

The House vote showed strong support, with 320 in favor and 99 against. The Senate vote was also decisive, with 77 in favor and 13 against.

Congressional leaders announced on Wednesday that they have reached an agreement on six appropriations bills. They stated that these full-year bills will be enacted before March 8. Additionally, they mentioned that the remaining appropriations bills to fund the rest of the government will be finalized and passed before March 22.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has faced pressure from the conservative wing to prioritize conservative victories in the government funding battle. Some hardliners have expressed their opposition to the idea of another short-term funding bill.

Johnson informed reporters on Thursday that the appropriations process can be messy. He explained that democracy can be messy too, but that's just how it works every year. However, he mentioned that they have introduced some new changes. One of the improvements is breaking away from the omnibus approach that has been the norm in Washington for many years. Johnson emphasized the importance of transitioning back to a more organized budgeting and spending reform by breaking down the process into smaller segments.

In a meeting with GOP House members on Thursday before the vote, Johnson defended his handling of the spending negotiations.

Johnson explained that due to GOP divisions preventing the House from approving a procedural step, he was compelled to make a deal with Democrats in order to pass a bill with a two-thirds majority. This situation has necessitated compromise on the spending package.

In response, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia criticized the speaker for reaching an agreement with Democrats on government funding.

I decided to revive the name 'House of hypocrites' because our conference kept emphasizing no CRs or minibuses, but this morning all I heard was talk about our third CR and voting on multiple minibuses," she told CNN’s Manu Raju.

Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, who disagrees with the speaker's deal, described the past six months as challenging.

"I don’t agree with the package,” he told CNN, adding, “In this game you got to stack up your fights, you got to stack up your strategies. And I just don’t think that’s what we accomplished here.”

“I think it could have been done in better ways, yeah. But, I mean, you can’t be a Monday morning quarterback on this thing,” he told CNN when asked about how Johnson has handled the majority. “We are where we are.”

Johnson became the new House Speaker after conservatives removed Kevin McCarthy in a significant vote last year. This has led to speculation about whether the Louisiana Republican could also face a similar challenge to his position in the future.

Rep. Tim Burchett from Tennessee, who was among the eight Republicans who voted against McCarthy, expressed his support for Johnson despite disagreeing with the temporary bill and overall funding agreement.

"I haven't voted for a CR. I believe we should pass a budget, but the truth is nobody seems willing to do so. With only a one-vote majority, he's facing a tough situation. He'll have to make a difficult decision. I stand by him, even though I don't necessarily support the CR," he explained to CNN. "He's putting in a lot of effort and doing the best he can."

Lawmakers have agreed on six funding bills that they plan to pass before March 8. These bills cover departments such as Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice and Science, Energy and Water Development, Interior, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development.

Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on six more appropriations bills before March 22. These bills cover Defense, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor-Health and Human Services, the Legislative Branch, and State and Foreign Operations.

This story and headline have been revised to include new information.

CNN’s Lauren Fox and Manu Raju contributed to this report.

Editor's P/S:

I am relieved that Congress has passed a temporary bill to prevent a partial government shutdown. This is a positive step that will allow the government to continue functioning while lawmakers finalize and pass full-year funding bills. It is important to avoid government shutdowns, as they can have significant negative consequences for the economy and public services.

However, I am concerned about the pressure that some conservative members of Congress are putting on House Speaker Mike Johnson to prioritize conservative victories in the government funding battle. It is important for lawmakers to work together to pass a budget that meets the needs of the country as a whole, not just a particular political party. I hope that Congress can put aside partisan differences and work together to pass a budget that is fair and equitable for all Americans.