Biden Signs Spending Bill to Avert Shutdown

President Joe Biden signed a temporary government spending bill on Thursday, keeping federal agencies operational until December 20. This action follows Congress’s decision to delay crucial spending decisions until after the November elections.

The bill funds agencies at current levels and sets up the potential for a government shutdown just before the holiday season. Lawmakers also agreed to allocate an additional $231 million to strengthen the Secret Service after two assassination attempts against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. The measure includes funding to assist with the presidential transition.

The bill passed Congress easily on a bipartisan basis, with votes of 341-82 in the House and 78-18 in the Senate, where Republicans cast all no votes in both chambers.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., described the measure as doing “only what’s absolutely necessary,” addressing concerns from his party members about spending levels. Johnson stated that the only alternative to this continuing resolution would have been a government shutdown.

This temporary measure was necessary as Congress is far from completing work on the dozen annual appropriations bills that fund much of the federal government. The House has passed five of the 12 bills, primarily along party lines, while the Senate has yet to pass any.

Aakhir Tak Editor-in-Chief

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