Chicago December 21, 2024
Senators voted early Saturday morning to pass a new version of a stopgap spending bill, preventing a partial government shutdown that had been set to begin at midnight. The bill passed with a vote of 85 to 11 and will now be sent to President Biden, who has already said he will sign it.
Earlier in the week, a 1,547-page version of the spending bill was introduced, which included disaster aid and various policy measures. Republicans, including former President Trump and Senator J.D. Vance, criticized the bill, accusing Democrats of holding up aid for farmers and disaster relief. They argued that Democrats were threatening a government shutdown unless Republicans agreed to their demands.
The original bill would have kept government funding at current levels until March 14, 2024, and provided more than $100 billion in disaster aid for victims of storms in the U.S. Southeast. It also included $10 billion for farmers.
On Thursday, House Republicans introduced a new version of the bill, which included a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling at Trump’s request. However, by Friday, Democrats and Republicans were unable to reach an agreement on this proposal.
The final bill passed over the weekend included relief for farmers and storm victims but did not include the debt ceiling suspension.
