On Friday, only hours before the allocated funding was set to terminate, the US Senate narrowly escaped a near partial government shutdown by sanctioning a spending bill that would assist multiple government services. The spending bill, costing $467.5 billion (£426 billion), was accepted with little opposition, with the final tally being 75 votes for and 22 against. The budget supports various sectors such as veterans’ affairs, agriculture, energy, housing, and transport until the fiscal year’s terminal date on September 30th. This budget will now be presented to President Joe Biden of the Democratic Party for royal assent.
The green light for spending on these sectors was to be withdrawn at 12 midnight if the bill had not passed. Before the vote was put forward, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer addressed any fears about the political divisions within the government affecting its functionality, by stating that this bipartisan bill is sufficient evidence that the government is very much operational.
Earlier in the week, the budget was readily approved by the Republican-majority House of Representatives. The Senate’s confirmation was delayed, due to a group of right-wing Republicans seeking for immigration and similar matters to be voted upon, but all were unsuccessful.
Congress is yet to agree on a second, more substantial spending bill to oversee services such as healthcare, homeland security and military defences. The deadline for agreeing on this budget is the 22nd of March since the funding for these sectors will run its course by then. If both bills are approved, the combined budget will reach $1.66 trillion.
The far-right Republicans have been lobbying for a deeper reduction of the nation’s spending habits in order to control the $34.5 trillion national debt. These two bills were actually due for approval at the start of the last fiscal year on October 1st. And while it’s not uncommon for Congress to miss this deadline, this year’s negotiations have seen an unprecedented level of disarray.
Of the spending bills, $241.3 million are dedicated to earmarks, specifically local projects sponsored by individual lawmakers. One of these individuals was Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who passed away on September 29, 2023, only two days prior to the beginning of the fiscal year. This report was brought to you by Reuters, © Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024.