Senate passes funding bill to avert partial government shutdown

The Senate passed the $1.2 trillion funding package early Saturday after a last-minute agreement, averting a partial government shutdown.

The funding legislation was approved by a vote of 74-24 at 2:02 a.m. ET, more than two hours after the midnight ET deadline for passage of the critical legislation that was approved by the House on Friday. 

The package includes funding for a slate of critical government operations, including the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, State, and the legislative branch. 

Ahead of the final vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said:

“It's no small feat to get a package like this done in divided government. These past few months have shown yet again that when bipartisanship has room to work we can get the job done.”

 The legislation now goes to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature.

The vote marks a major moment on Capitol Hill as it brings to a close an annual appropriations process that has dragged on far longer than is typical – an effort that has been punctuated by partisan policy disagreements and a historic change of leadership in the House after conservatives ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in an unprecedented vote last year.

While final passage came after the midnight deadline, the Senate’s action effectively prevented any lapse in funding or government function and the federal government is now funded through the end of the fiscal year.

The post was updated with more details on the final passage of the Senate bill.

The White House Office of Management and Budget has ceased shutdown preparations and President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill Saturday, pending Senate passage, according to a White House official. 

 "OMB has ceased shutdown preparations because there is a high degree of confidence that Congress will imminently pass the relevant appropriations and the President will sign the bill on Saturday,” the official said.

 “Because obligations of federal funds are incurred and tracked on a daily basis, agencies will not shut down and may continue their normal operations,” the official added.

 

The Senate has reached a last-minute agreement to vote on the government funding package tonight, and avert a shutdown, after an hours-long standoff over amendment votes. 

Republicans were demanding votes on controversial amendments that could put some vulnerable Senate Democrats in tough spots. The agreement includes up to 12 amendment votes, followed by final passage. 

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer began with a quorum call to give members time to get to the floor, and urged members to vote quickly once the vote series begins.

 “Some people have very important places to go, and we want to get her there,” he said on the floor, looking to the Senate’s top Republican appropriator, Sen. Susan Collins. Her mother’s funeral is tomorrow morning in Caribou, Maine, and Collins has not missed a vote since she was first elected to the Senate in 1997.

 

Senate Minority Whip John Thune took to social media to vent his frustration with the Senate’s failure to pass the government funding package so far, arguing that Democrats are refusing Republican demands for amendment votes in order to protect their most vulnerable incumbents. 

“Taking a handful of votes on proposals that are related to this massive spending bill is not too much to ask," Thune wrote on X. "So make no mistake, if the government shuts down, it will be because of one thing and one thing only: Democrat leaders protecting vulnerable incumbents from taking hard votes."

Some context: Republican senators are pushing for votes on several controversial measures, including the Laken Riley Act, that would put several vulnerable Democrats in tough positions this election year.

The Senate is falling short of reaching a time agreement to vote on the government funding package before the midnight deadline, according to senators and aides in each party, meaning a partial government shutdown would begin at midnight.

How we got here: After the House passed the package earlier on Friday, the Senate spent hours negotiating over controversial amendment votes demanded by Republicans in order to put vulnerable Democrats in a tough position this election year.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune argued Friday that Democrats would be to blame if they were unable to pass this funding package before the shutdown deadline at midnight, but Democrats blamed Republicans for preventing passage of the bill by insisting on amendments that they considered unreasonable.

A partial government shutdown is set to begin at 12:01 a.m. ET after the Senate was unable to vote on the government funding package. The bill was approved earlier in the day by the House.

The Senate will not be permitted to take any action Saturday as Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made a motion to break a filibuster on the funding package. The chamber is expected to vote to do so early Sunday afternoon, but there is no exact timing yet.

That vote will be at a 60-vote threshold, and is expected to pass, which will trigger up to 30 hours of additional debate. If all hours are used, the bill could be passed Monday evening. Senators and aides in both parties have signaled that they would try to complete consideration of the package on Sunday, but they could run into the same roadblocks they did on Friday.

The impact of a partial shutdown could become clear if it continues into Monday as most federal employees are off during the weekend.

The Senate is approaching a midnight deadline to pass a bill to fund the government and avert a shutdown. The House passed a $1.2 trillion government funding package earlier Friday.

Earlier this month, Congress passed a first slate of government funding bills ahead of another partial deadline, providing funding for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development as well as the Food and Drug Administration, military construction and other federal programs.

Now, funding for the remaining departments and agencies expires at midnight. That includes the departments of Homeland Security, Defense, State, Treasury, Health and Human Services, Education and Labor. 

What's at stake: Millions of federal workers and military personnel would be affected by the shutdown, including about 60% of civilian federal employees, according to Andrew Lautz, senior policy analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

At least 625,000 workers, mostly civilian Defense Department employees, could be subject to furlough, he said. At least another 725,000 civilian federal employees, mainly in the departments of Homeland Security and Defense, could have to continue working, but not get paid until the shutdown ends, Lautz said. More than 2 million military personnel, including active duty and selected reserve members, could also have to work without pay.

The absence of a deal could also cause airport delays, harm border operations, affect civilian workforce and recruiting, have an effect on tax filing season and federal student aid, as well as impact State Department contracts and job offers.

Several Senate Republicans expressed their hope that the House can avoid another messy speaker fight, after GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene introduced a resolution to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday morning.

Greene's resolution has raised concerns that GOP infighting could cause Republicans to lose their House majority, especially after GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher's announcement Friday that he will step down in April, months before the end of his term, which would leave the GOP with an even narrower razor-thin margin.

GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin — a former House member who maintains close ties to his colleagues in the other chamber — warned that they could lose the House majority if Greene called for a vote on Johnson’s ouster. 

“I think this causes real issues — real issues — for the incumbents and for our challengers out there, for the Republican Party if this goes through, because chaos in the House is 100% on us at this point, if this thing moves forward and they don't have a speaker,” Mullin said.

On the other hand, GOP Sen. Steve Daines, who chairs the Senate Republican's campaign arm, said the threat to Johnson and the GOP’s slim majority “illustrates the point that the House needs to expand its majority” and will help turn out voters.

GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer slammed Greene's move, saying "I don't get the desire for chaos." The North Dakota Republican also praised the job Johnson has done as speaker and said he hopes Democrats will save Johnson from being ousted.

Meanwhile, GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville was sympathetic to Greene’s concerns. 

“We’re all disappointed with a lot of things that are in this bill. And I know she is, as conservative she is,” Tuberville said. He dismissed concerns that the infighting makes it appear that Republicans can’t govern, adding, “We are fighting for the American people.”

The US House Office of Diversity and Inclusion will be dissolved as part of the government spending bill that passed the chamber on Friday, the office’s director said in a statement Friday. The bill advanced to the Senate ahead of the midnight deadline to avoid a shutdown.

The office's director, Sesha Joi Moon, said it will be replaced by the Office of Talent Management under the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer.

The change comes as diversity and inclusion programs and initiatives face increased attacks from critics and Republican lawmakers across the country.

The office was first formed in March 2020 with the mission of creating a congressional workforce that reflected the makeup of the nation. According to its website, the office’s key duties have included financial management, candidate services, member services, research and data analytics and professional development. 

Moon said while she plans to transition out of her role later this year, some team members will stay on and work for the newly formed Office of Talent Management.