The Senate early Saturday passed a $1.2 trillion package to fund much of the government, ending dramatic Senate negotiations and months of bitter spending battles.
The chamber approved the massive 1,000-page bill by a vote of 74-24, sending it to President Biden’s desk for his signature. The final vote took place around 2 a.m., two hours after the closure deadline.
The House passed the bill early Friday morning on a bipartisan vote of 286-134.
The package is the second and final batch of annual government funding bills to make it through Congress, and is roughly past the original deadline for lawmakers to complete fiscal year 2024 spending work, which ended at the end of September. It will be 6 months later.
The package combines half of 12 annual funding bills and provides funding for the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security (DHS), Labor, Health and Human Services, and state departments, as well as general government, financial services, and foreign operations. Expenses are also covered.
Negotiations to expedite passage in the Senate dragged on for several hours Friday as conservatives pushed for a vote on the plan amendment. At one time, many senators were pessimistic about the chances of passing the bill by Sunday.
Any amendments to the bill would have required it to be reintroduced to the House, which is already on a two-week recess in Washington, risking putting vulnerable Democrats in a difficult position to vote.
Senators say the amendments sought by Republicans include border measures such as the Laken-Reilly Act, which would require the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with theft-related crimes. Another amendment sponsored by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) targets the Biden administration’s tailpipe emissions regulations.
Republicans accused Democratic leaders of trying to protect vulnerable lawmakers from a potentially tough vote in a critical election year.
Sen. John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, said, “Voting a few votes on proposals related to this huge spending bill is not too much to ask.” . I wrote to X late Friday. “So make no mistake: If the government is shut down, it will be because of one thing and one thing: Democratic leaders protecting vulnerable incumbents from tough votes.”
Meanwhile, Democrats criticized the Republicans’ claims as unreasonable.
“Everyone knows the truth,” said Sen. Cory Booker (D.N.J.). “If we amend this bill in any way, the House will be shut down because it will cease to exist. The only option we have is to pass it as is, so the game will be played.”
In the end, none of the amendments were passed.
The White House announced late Friday that the Office of Management and Budget had halted preparations for the shutdown after it became clear the Senate would “soon pass” the funding measure. The president is expected to sign the bill later Saturday.
“Because federal fund obligations are accrued and tracked daily, government agencies will not be shut down and may continue normal operations,” the White House said.
Conservatives have struggled throughout the week since the bill was announced in the early hours of Thursday after a last-minute fight over DHS funding delayed its rollout for several days over its funding levels and Democratic support. He has strongly criticized the investment in the bill.
In addition to the size of the policy, conservatives are concerned about the funding Democrats have set aside for specific local projects due to concerns about abortion and immigration, funding for new FBI headquarters, and insufficient funding for border security. I’m criticizing things that don’t exist.
Conservatives in the House also opposed the process by which the bill was brought to the floor.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) filed a motion early Friday to vacate the speaker’s chair in protest of the bill.
This is the same measure used to oust his predecessor, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who passed legislation to avert a government shutdown despite opposition from the right. The bill has been brought to the floor and has already faced fierce criticism from the public. Her Republican colleagues in both chambers.
“So, to be honest, if she feels so strongly about it, she knows she can claim privilege and get votes. She’d rather just sit there. ,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, RN.C. “So, to me, it seems like an unnecessary distraction.”
“I don’t see how that would help Speaker Johnson,” he added, while also comparing the move to when his teenage children “would take action.”
The package passed this week is largely in line with an agreement to limit federal spending brokered by President Biden and House Republican leaders last year, increasing defense funding by more than 3%. However, non-defense funding remains almost unchanged compared to the previous year.
Despite opposition from conservatives, Republicans have touted investments in border security that would put more emphasis on enforcement, including funding for more Border Patrol agents, more detention beds, and more border security technology. It is claimed that it will be possible to place
The bills fall short of the deep cuts that House Republicans called for in last year’s partisan budget proposal, but the party also said the two sides were haggling over parity between increases in defense and non-defense spending. We are proud of the departure from the past few years.
Republicans also praised a concession from Democrats to block funding to UNRWA, the United Nations’ main agency that provides relief to Palestinian refugees, a move that has angered progressives in both chambers.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., one of only two non-Republicans to vote against the measure early Saturday morning, cited the cuts as the main reason for his opposition.
“The main reason was this funding cut to UNRWA, which means hundreds of thousands of hungry children will not be able to get the food they need. This is completely outrageous. I think that’s the case,” he told The Hill.
Democrats, meanwhile, are rejoicing in fending off a series of so-called “poison pill” policies pushed by Republicans, including deep funding cuts and policies targeting abortion access and diversity initiatives.
The party is focused on increasing funding for early childhood education and health programs, including Head Start, Child Care and Development Fund block grants, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
The package would also increase funding for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
