Senate approves temporary bill to prevent government shutdown

The government funding bill, which was approved by the House on Tuesday, has now been passed by the Senate with a vote of 87 to 11. This stopgap measure will prevent a government shutdown for the time being, but sets the stage for a heated debate over funding in the upcoming year. The bill will now be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature. The current expiration date for government funding is Friday, November 17.

Lawmakers face mounting pressure to negotiate and approve full-year spending bills within a tight timeline of just over two months. This urgency arises because the stopgap bill sets up two new shutdown deadlines in January and February, presenting a unique two-step funding approach for the government.

The task of achieving this objective is further complicated by significant partisan divisions. House conservatives are adamant about implementing significant spending cuts, a proposition that Democrats firmly oppose and consider unfeasible. Negotiating amidst these divergent views will undoubtedly make the process difficult and complex. This challenge serves as a significant test of leadership for newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson and his ability to guide lawmakers through these turbulent negotiations.

The bill aims to extend funding until January 19 for various priorities, such as military construction, veterans affairs, transportation, housing, and the Energy Department. The remaining government sectors, not covered by the initial extension, would be funded until February 2. Notably, the proposal does not provide any extra aid for Israel or Ukraine. Johnson advocates for this plan in order to avoid the recurring situation of Congress passing a large spending bill in December, which has frequently occurred when faced with a deadline just before the winter holidays.

The short-term funding plan faced opposition from House conservatives who were dissatisfied with the absence of significant spending cuts they had requested. Consequently, Democratic support was necessary for the bill to be approved in the House.

Ultimately, a larger number of House Democrats endorsed the measure compared to Republicans, which served as a cautionary signal for Johnson.

Kevin McCarthy, the former Speaker, was removed from his position after introducing a temporary bill on the House floor in late September. Although this prevented a shutdown, it resulted in a backlash from conservative members and ultimately led to McCarthy's removal.

Numerous House Republicans have indicated that they do not expect the current Speaker, Johnson, to face the same fate as McCarthy. They argue that Johnson has recently taken on the role and has inherited pre-existing issues that were not his fault. However, it is uncertain how long this period of support for the new Speaker will last, as conservative hardliners persist in pushing for their demands before the larger funding dispute.

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments.