The House of Representatives passed a stopgap bill on Tuesday to keep the government open, putting Congress on a path to avert a shutdown and setting the stage for a broader funding fight in the new year.
The next step involves the Senate approving the measure. President Joe Biden is ready to sign the bill should it pass in the Senate, according to a statement from a White House official to CNN. The current government funding is slated to expire at the week’s end on Friday, November 17.
The bipartisan stopgap bill successfully cleared the House with a vote of 336 to 95, notably supported by 209 Democrats. This voting pattern serves as a cautionary signal for the recently elected House Speaker, Mike Johnson.
The bill faced opposition from 93 Republicans and two Democrats.
In a noteworthy challenge to his leadership, Johnson is pursuing an unconventional two-step plan that would establish two new shutdown deadlines in January and February.
The bill would extend funding until January 19 for priorities including military construction, veterans’ affairs, transportation, housing and the Energy Department. The rest of the government — anything not covered by the first step — would be funded until February 2. The proposal does not include additional aid for Israel or Ukraine. The House of Representatives
The plan would give lawmakers more time to attempt to negotiate and pass full-year spending bills, though major partisan divisions would make that effort fraught and complicated. Johnson has argued that his plan would prevent Congress from passing a massive spending bill in December — a scenario that has played out many times before when lawmakers have faced a deadline right before the winter holidays.