On the evening of December 20 (local time), the US House of Representatives officially passed a revised budget bill to prevent the risk of a partial federal government shutdown. The bill received overwhelming approval with 366 votes in favor and only 34 votes against, creating an important premise to ensure the government's operations in the coming time.
Compared to the previous bill, the new content adds notable budget items. The government will be funded through March 14, 2025, including $100 billion in disaster relief assistance and $10 billion for economic assistance programs for farmers. Notably, the Farm Bill, which Capital this year, will be extended for another year.
Notably, the bill does not include a provision to raise the debt ceiling, an issue that President-elect Donald Trump has asked Republicans to address before he takes office. Instead, Republicans agreed to include the issue in the 2025 agenda, along with cuts to government spending, but did not put it to a vote immediately.
Earlier, on the evening of December 19, another budget bill proposed by the Republican Party was rejected in the House of Representatives. This event created a major conflict between the factions, when 38 Republican congressmen opposed the bill proposed by their own party, while only 2 Democratic congressmen supported it. The situation became more tense when Mr. Trump publicly called on Republican congressmen not to support the bill that had been previously agreed upon by the two parties.
After passing the House, the bill will move to the Senate, where Republicans control the House. Hours are left to avoid a government shutdown. If President JOE Biden fails to sign it by 12:01 a.m. on December 21, the federal government will be forced into a partial shutdown. This scenario could cause widespread disruptions, from border security and law enforcement to delayed paychecks for more than 2 million federal workers in the final days of the year.
