US HOUSE PASSES STOPGAP MEASURE TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Sat 30 September 2023:

A temporary funding package was approved by lawmakers in the US House of Representatives on Saturday, taking a significant step toward preventing a government shutdown only hours before the current spending period expires.

The House voted 335-91 to fund the government for another 45 days, with more Democrats than Republicans supporting it.

The measure would keep the government funded at current spending levels for 45 days and it includes $16 billion in disaster relief — matching the figure the White House included in a supplemental request. It does not include Ukraine aid or border policy changes.

The chamber cleared the stopgap bill in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 335-91 vote hours after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) rolled out the proposal. One Democrat and 90 Republicans voted against the measure.

McCarthy introduced the bill under suspension of the rules, meaning he needed the support of two-thirds of House members to advance the proposal. Although Democrats criticized the bill’s lack of Ukraine funding, they ultimately provided McCarthy with the support needed to get the legislation across the finish line.

“I do not believe the American public should be punished, so I want to keep government open,” McCarthy told reporters before the vote. “What I am asking Republicans and Democrats alike: put your partisanship away, focus on the American public.”

As lawmakers made progress in their efforts to extend funding, the federal government was bracing for the possibility of the first shutdown in nearly five years. The White House has warned that a shutdown would force hundreds of thousands of government workers to go without pay, jeopardize access to vital nutritional programs and delay disaster relief projects.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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