Senate passes funding bill and sends it to Biden's desk, averting govt shutdown

Hours after the nod from the US House of Representatives, the Senate passed the new stopgap bill, averting a government shutdown. In the early hours of Saturday, Senators voted 85-11 to approve the extension of government funding at the current level until March 14. The bill came after President-elect Donald Trump influenced Republicans to reject the original bipartisan deal, leaving the Congress in a spiral.

The bill provides more than $100 billion in disaster assistance to areas ravaged by hurricanes and other storms and includes economic assistance for farmers. On Friday night, the bill was passed by the House with 366 votes in favour, 34 against and one person abstained from voting.

The bill will now reach the desk of the current US President Joe Biden for his signature before the Friday midnight deadline. “Tonight, the Senate delivers more good news for America. There will be no government shutdown right before Christmas,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor ahead of final passage. “This is a good bill. It’ll keep the government open … and helps Americans affected by hurricanes and natural disasters, helps our farmers and avoid harmful cuts," he added.

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Schumer emphasised that the whole ordeal gives a lesson for the next year that the bipartisan approach is the only way out. “After a chaotic few days in the House, it’s good news that the bipartisan approach in the end prevailed. It’s a good lesson for next year. Both sides have to work together,” he added.

The bill was passed by the Congress after a turbulent week

Interestingly, the bill, which was passed by the House, dropped US President-elect Donald Trump’s demand for a debt limit increase. Chaos ensued after Trump and billionaire Elon Musk slammed the initial bipartisan stopgap bill at the very last minute. This raised fears of a government shutdown with the Democratic Party leader referring to Musk as president instead of Trump.

Soon after the condemnation from the president-elect, a “Trump-backed” package was hastily drawn out by the House Republicans which called for a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling, which would have helped the incoming president enact his agenda. However, the move was rejected by his own party members and failed to garner support in the House.

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While the final bill did not include Trump’s demand for temporary suspension of the debt limit, the Republicans agreed to increase the borrowing limit by $1.5 trillion in exchange for $2.5 trillion in net cuts to mandatory spending. This provision would come into play during next year’s budget reconciliation process.

Is Trump losing grip over the GOP?

The rejection of the Trump-backed bill on Thursday indicated that the president-elect might not have an iron-clad grip on the Republican Party, which was usually thought after he won the November 5 polls. Trump had furiously urged the package to be passed, including threatening to oppose any Republicans who go against his bill.

Despite numerous warnings from both Musk and Trump, Republican lawmakers on the right were outraged by lifting government borrowing limits – rebelled. Critics are now arguing that the recent breakdown gave an early glimpse of the chaos to come when Trump returns to the White House on 20 January.

With inputs from agencies.