US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, USA, on March 7, 2024.
Elisabetta Frantz | Reuters
President Joe Biden signed a $460 billion spending bill into law on Saturday, averting a partial government shutdown that would have taken effect this weekend.
This partial budget agreement covers funding for six major areas of government, which include the departments of Military and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, Housing, Urban Development, and ‘power.
By Friday evening, the Senate had voted 75-22 to approve the package after the House approved it earlier this week.
The agreement marks a step forward in the effort to secure a permanent budget plan for the remainder of the fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. The other six appropriations bills that keep the rest of the government funded are set to expire on March 22.
This is the fourth time this fiscal year that Congress has had to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government funded and avoid a shutdown.
Democrats pushed to continue fully funding a special food assistance program for women, infants and children. They also secured gains on rental assistance and payment of infrastructure employees such as air traffic controllers and rail inspectors.
Meanwhile, Republicans also counted the first half of the funding package as a victory, declaring victories on veteran gun ownership and funding cuts to government agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
– CNBC’s Rebecca Picciotto contributed reporting.