The U.S. Senate narrowly avoided a partial government shutdown on Friday, March 8, 2024, by passing spending legislation for several government agencies mere hours before the expiration of current funding. With a bipartisan vote of 75-22, the Senate endorsed a $467.5 billion spending package intended to sustain agriculture, transportation, housing, energy, veterans, and various other programs until the conclusion of the fiscal year on September 30. The approved package now awaits the signature of Democratic President Joe Biden.
The imminent expiration of funding for these programs, scheduled for midnight, highlighted the pressing need for Senate action. This vote represents a partial resolution to a protracted and contentious debate over government spending, which previously resulted in a three-week leadership vacuum in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Prior to the vote, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer underscored the significance of bipartisan cooperation, asserting that the approved package challenges the notion that divided government impedes legislative progress.
While the package garnered swift approval in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives earlier in the week, its progress in the Senate was hindered by conservative Republicans advocating for votes on immigration and other issues, all of which were unsuccessful.
However, Congress must still reconcile a broader package of spending bills encompassing military, homeland security, healthcare, and other critical services, with funding set to expire on March 22. The combined cost of these two packages is estimated at $1.66 trillion. A faction of far-right Republicans advocated for more aggressive spending cuts to address the nation’s $34.5 trillion debt.
Notably, these measures were intended for enactment by October 1, the commencement of the 2024 fiscal year, though Congress has historically struggled to meet this deadline. The current fiscal year has been marked by exceptional turbulence, necessitating four temporary funding bills to sustain agency operations at previous year’s levels.
Included in the spending bills are $241.3 million in earmarks—local projects championed by individual lawmakers—originally requested by Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who passed away on September 29, 2023, just days before the fiscal year began.
(Reuters)
