Baks
Updates to add Biden’s signature package into law, quote
US President Joe Biden signed a $1.2 trillion government funding package into law on Saturday, avoiding a partial freeze and ending months of wrangling between Republicans and Democrats.
Biden’s action came later the Senate previously past the legislation by a vote of 74 to 24.
“The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open, invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security,” Biden said in a statement.
“We just reached an agreement to finish the job of funding the government tonight,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer previously said on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after midnight.
“It wasn’t easy, but tonight our persistence was worth it. It’s good for the American people that we reached this bipartisan agreement,” Schumer said.
The final step occurred after the midnight deadline, meaning some federal funding technically expired for a short time. But the Senate’s action means the federal government is now funded through the end of the fiscal year.
The $1.2 trillion funding package, which includes more than 1,000 pages, would provide funding to the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, State and the legislative branch .
“We have funded the government with significant investments for parents, children, small businesses, healthcare workers, military families and more. Our efforts have paid off with a strong funding bill now on President Biden’s desk.” , Schumer said on X.
“This deal represents a compromise, meaning neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects extreme cuts by House Republicans and expands access to child care, invests in cancer research , funds mental health and substance use treatment, advances American leadership abroad, and provides resources to secure the border that my Administration successfully fought to include,” President Biden said.
What is a shutdown?
Several federal agencies rely on annual funding approved by Congress. The agencies submit their requests each year that Congress must approve and the president must sign budget legislation for the following fiscal year.
If an agreement is not reached by the start of the fiscal year on October 1, it will result in a shutdown with the cessation of all non-essential discretionary functions.
Typically, as the deadline approaches, lawmakers from both parties on Capitol Hill agree to temporary funding based on requests from the previous year.