The Senate passed a bipartisan bill on Saturday morning that would temporarily fund the government and provide disaster relief. However, it included Donald Trump’s new year’s debt ceiling request. If the bill does not pass the required limit, there was a risk of a government shutdown.
Democrats are spending the last month of their term before Trump takes office on January 20. Biden will now sign it into law.
The bill will take effect after it is signed. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Congress will do its job. Trump has insisted that the bill must include an increase in the debt ceiling and has said that if it does not, a shutdown should be called.
The Senate worked overnight to pass a bipartisan funding bill to temporarily provide federal operations and disaster relief. Earlier, the House of Representatives approved Speaker Mike Johnson’s new bill by a margin of 366-34, while the Senate voted 85-11 in favor of the bill.
The bill now belongs to former President Joe Biden. The Democrat is spending the last month of his term before Trump takes office on January 20. Biden will now sign it into law. The 118-page package would fund the US government at current levels until March 14 and include $100 billion for farmers and $10 billion in agricultural aid. The shutdown has put thousands of government employees on unpaid leave. Airports are becoming increasingly crowded. Many things in the US could be closed. However, some essential work such as the military, welfare checks, mail delivery are continuing. A shutdown usually occurs when no one can agree on a government budget. There have been a total of 21 shutdowns since 1976. During this shutdown, a total of 35 days were spent. During that time, about 8 lakh government employees worked without pay.
