In the early hours of Saturday, the US Congress overwhelmingly approved a $1.2 trillion budget bill, ensuring the government’s funding through the fiscal year that commenced six months ago. The bill is now headed to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature to prevent a partial shutdown.
The vote for passage stood at 74-24.
Following the bill’s passage in the Democratic-majority Senate, critical federal agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, State, and Treasury (which houses the Internal Revenue Service), will remain funded through September 30.
However, the measure notably did not include funding for military aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, or Israel. Such assistance is part of a separate bill passed by the Senate but ignored by the Republican-led House of Representatives.
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Senate leaders engaged in hours of negotiations on Friday, considering numerous amendments to the budget bill, most of which were ultimately defeated. This delay pushed the bill’s passage beyond the Friday midnight deadline.
Nevertheless, the White House Office of Management and Budget issued a statement assuring that agencies would not be instructed to shut down. They expressed confidence that the Senate would promptly approve the bill, which it successfully did.
While Congress managed to pass the budget bill, deep partisan divides were once again evident, along with bitter disagreements within the House’s slim and fractious Republican majority. Conservative Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene even threatened to push for a vote to remove Speaker Mike Johnson, a fellow Republican, for allowing the measure to proceed.
The 1,012-page bill allocates $886 billion in funding for the Defense Department, including a raise for US troops. President Biden, a Democrat, has signalled his intention to sign it into law.
Johnson, employing a parliamentary manoeuvre for the 60th time since succeeding his ousted predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, in October, bypassed hardliners within his party. This allowed the bill to pass by a vote of 286-134, with significantly more Democratic support than Republican.
For the past six months, the government has been funded through four short-term stopgap measures, reflecting repeated brinkmanship that many agencies have warned could damage the creditworthiness of a federal government burdened with nearly $34.6 trillion in debt.
Republican Senator Susan Collins, one of the key negotiators, described the legislation as a national security bill. Seventy per cent of the funding was allocated for national defence, including investments to strengthen military readiness, provide pay and benefit increases for service members, and support close allies.
However, opponents criticized the bill as too costly. Senator Rand Paul labelled it reckless and inflationary, arguing that it would result in stealing paychecks.
The last partial federal government shutdown occurred during Donald Trump’s presidency, lasting from December 22, 2018, until January 25, 2019. This extended interruption in government services came as Republicans sought funding for a border wall with Mexico but failed to reach a deal with Democrats.
The recent budget bill passed the House with 185 Democratic and 101 Republican votes, prompting Greene, a staunch conservative, to introduce a motion to remove Johnson from his position.
This move harkened back to October when a small group of hardliners orchestrated a vote to ouster McCarthy for relying on Democrats to pass a stopgap measure. McCarthy had angered them since June when he agreed with Biden on the fiscal 2024 spending outlines, which were approved last Friday.
McCarthy’s removal brought the House to a standstill for three weeks as Republicans struggled to elect a new leader, an ordeal they hoped to avoid with the upcoming November election.
Greene clarified she wouldn’t immediately push for a vote on her motion to remove Johnson. “I filed a motion to vacate today. But it’s more of a warning than a pink slip,” the Georgia Republican told reporters.
Some Democrats indicated they would support Johnson if he called a vote on a $95 billion security assistance package for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, which the Senate has already endorsed.
However, such a measure is unlikely to be addressed soon as lawmakers leave Washington for a two-week break.
Republican opposition to additional funding for Ukraine has raised concerns about Russia’s ability to undermine Kyiv’s defence.
Johnson faces further challenges with the impending departures of two caucus members, Ken Buck and Mike Gallagher. This will reduce his majority to 217-213, leaving him with little room for dissent within his party on measures opposed by Democrats.
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