The Senate approved a $460 billion spending bill on Friday to fund half of the federal government through the fall. The legislation is now headed to President Biden’s desk just in time to prevent a partial shutdown.
The vote of 75-to-22 solidified a resolution to a spending stalemate that has plagued Congress for months and brought the government to the brink of shutdown multiple times. The White House announced that shutdown preparations were being halted and that President Biden would sign the bill on Saturday.
Negotiations are ongoing for the remaining half of the government’s spending, including funding for the Pentagon, which must be passed by March 22 to avoid a shutdown. Issues such as funding for the Department of Homeland Security are still unresolved.
The bill passed on Friday combines six spending bills, extending funding for various federal programs until Sept. 30, covering areas such as agriculture, energy, transportation, housing, the Justice Department, and veterans.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic majority leader, praised the bipartisan package, stating, “To folks who worry that divided government means nothing ever gets done, this bipartisan package says otherwise. It helps parents, veterans, firefighters, farmers, school cafeterias, and more.”
The funding levels in the package were negotiated last year by President Biden and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The package keeps spending on domestic programs mostly flat but allows for a slight increase in military spending.
Democrats rejected divisive Republican policy demands, such as defunding a new FDA rule on medication abortion and cutting nutritional benefits for low-income families.
Senator Patty Murray, the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, expressed satisfaction with the bipartisan package, stating, “This isn’t the bill I would have written on my own, but this is a strong bipartisan package that sustains vital resources that matter in people’s lives.”
House Republicans achieved some smaller victories, including cuts to various programs, and the inclusion of a measure curbing a policy aimed at preventing veteran suicides.
One Democrat opposed the spending bill due to the inclusion of a particular policy regarding gun control.
Senator Christopher S. Murphy of Connecticut explained his vote against the bill, stating, “I’m voting no because I do not accept a return to a time when the gun lobby could bury gun riders in appropriations bills. This cannot happen again.”
