Washington. The threat of a federal government shutdown ended Saturday night, hours before the midnight deadline, when the US Congress passed a temporary funding bill to keep agencies open and sent the measure to President Joe Biden to sign it.
The emergency package eliminated aid to Ukraine, a priority of the White House opposed by a growing number of Republican lawmakers, but increased federal disaster aid to $16 billion, fully fulfilling Biden’s request. . The bill funds the government until November 17.
After confusing days of chaos in the House of Representatives, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy abruptly abandoned demands for deep spending cuts from his right wing and instead trusted Democrats to pass the bill. The Senate followed up with final approval.
“We’re going to do our job,” McCarthy, R-Calif., said before the House vote. “Let’s grow up in the bedroom. And we will keep the government open. “
It’s a complete turnaround in Congress after tumultuous days in the House of Representatives that brought the government to the brink of a tumultuous federal shutdown.
The result ends, for now, the threat of closure. If an agreement is not reached by Sunday, federal workers will face furloughs, more than 2 million active duty and reserve military troops will have to work without pay, and the programs and services Americans rely on coast to coast they started. to deal with interruptions.
