After a tumultuous week of rejections, the House approved a stopgap spending bill on Friday evening that moves the government funding deadline to March. The bill is now on its way to the Senate, where senators will rush to vote before a midnight deadline to avoid a government shutdown.
The stopgap bill was approved 366-34 with bipartisan support from 196 Democrats and 170 Republicans in Congress. The new proposal includes disaster relief and farm assistance, but does not include the debt ceiling raise suggested by President-elect Donald Trump. It comes after a turbulent week on Capitol Hill that saw two previous versions of the bill fail to secure enough support.
Earlier versions of the spending bill were derailed by disagreements within Congress and unexpected demands from President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Trump urged GOP lawmakers to oppose the initial bipartisan deal, calling instead for a debt ceiling hike to be included—a move that caught many lawmakers off guard.
Although a revised plan that included Trump's request for a debt ceiling hike was introduced Thursday, it failed to pass the House. Most Democrats and 38 Republicans voted against the proposal, citing concerns that it would pave the way for tax cuts and increased spending under Trump's administration.
Originally published by Latin Times.
