Legislation passed on Saturday provided government funding for 45 more days, preventing a government shutdown that appeared imminent on Friday.
President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law on Saturday.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution Saturday afternoon, mere hours before the government would have shutdown.
“House Democrats have fought for weeks to avert a shutdown, driven by GOP infighting and extremist demands to defund critical programs and policy riders that would harm our communities,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-New Mexico, said in a news release following the vote. “While we will continue to negotiate over appropriations and funding bills for the upcoming fiscal year, this measure avoids a shutdown and ensures all federal workers are paid.”
Continuing resolutions are temporary spending bills that let federal government operations continuity while final appropriations are being approved.
The House passed the Bill with 335 votes for it and 91 against.
The Senate approved the legislation Saturday evening with 88 votes for and nine against.
“The Senate worked on a bipartisan basis from day one to avoid a shutdown, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to deliver long term funding that provides certainty to the American people,” Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-New Mexico, said in a news release following the vote.
Nine Republicans voted against the legislation, which passed with 46 Democrats, 30 Republicans and three independents supporting it.
Senators Tim Scott, R-South Carolina and Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan did not vote.
The continuing resolution funds the government for 45 days and includes disaster relief funds, extends a federal flood insurance program and reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration. It did not include extra aid for Ukraine.
Financial support for Ukraine was a controversial issue during the debate process.
Luján said that he was committed that Congress must provide critical aid to Ukraine to make “clear that the United States stands for the people of Ukraine over Putin’s acts of aggression.”
Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, was adamant about this not being the end of the process for funding the government.
“Our job is not done. Now we must return to crafting responsible bipartisan government funding bills and redouble our efforts to pass a more robust support package for our allies in Ukraine,” Heinrich said in a statement following the vote.
President Joe Biden signed the continuing resolution later Saturday night.
“Tonight, bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate voted to keep the government open, preventing an unnecessary crisis that would have inflicted needless pain on millions of hard-working Americans,” Biden said in a news release. “This bill ensures that active-duty troops will continue to get paid, travelers will be spared airport delays, millions of women and children will continue to have access to vital nutrition assistance, and so much more. This is good news for the American people.”
