US House Passes Stopgap Spending Bill To Avoid Govt Shutdown

The US House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday that would avert government shutdown.

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a temporary spending bill that would avert a government shutdown that was supported by lawmakers from both the parties. The legislation that would extend government funding through mid-January has now been sent to the Senate where the bill has been backed by Democratic and Republican leaders, reported Reuters. 

In order to prevent a shutdown, the legislation needs to be enacted by the Senate and Republican-controlled House so that it could be signed into law by President Joe Biden before current funding for federal agencies expires at midnight on Friday.

The bill was passed with 336-95 vote and is being seen as a victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who faced down opposition from some of his fellow Republicans, in the first consequential vote of his tenure.

Following the voting, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat said in a statement on Tuesday that he was pleased the bill passed "with a strong bipartisan vote," adding that he would work with his Senate Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, to pass it "as soon as possible."

The bill would extend government funding at current levels into 2024 and will give the lawmakers more time to formulate the detailed spending bills that cover everything from the military to scientific research.

Some Republicans, however, expressed their frustration that the bill did not include the steep spending cuts and border-security measures they sought, the report added. 

The bill was passed with 209 Democrats and 127 Republicans voting in support while 93 Republicans and two Democrats voted against it.

Johnson's predecessor as speaker, Kevin McCarthy, was ousted by a handful of Republicans after a similar vote in September that relied on Democratic votes to avert a shutdown.