Senate Passes Stopgap Funding Bill, Averting Government Shutdown

Topline

The Senate on Thursday passed a stopgap bill to fund the government for an additional week, staving off Friday’s looming government shutdown as lawmakers race to finalize a broader funding package before the holidays and control of the House flips.

Key Facts

Lawmakers voted to pass a continuing resolution freezing government funding at current levels through December 23 late on Thursday evening.

The weeklong measure averts a government shutdown ahead of a midnight deadline on Friday—when current funding expires—and gives negotiators time to iron out a more comprehensive, full-year spending package.

The measure passed by a vote of 71-19.

The bill was approved by the House on Wednesday and now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

Before the bill’s passage, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said there is a “lot of work left to do and not enough time to do it” unless government funding is extended for another week, according to CBS.

It is also the “responsible step to ensure we finish the year without hiccups and with minimal drama,” Schumer added, according to Politico.

What To Watch For

Republican strategy. The weeklong stopgap buys extra time for lawmakers to finish work on a full-year spending package. Tight deadlines associated with the upcoming holidays, expiration of funding on December 23 and the House flipping to Republican control in January all add pressure to negotiations. While Democrats are keen to pass a year-long omnibus package before the chamber flips—as well as use the lame duck period to include other provisions less likely to be approved in the future—Republicans are reportedly divided on whether to stall for time and push for an extension into the new year when they will hold a better hand. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the ranking Republican in the Senate, has said he will support a broader funding package if it is finalized by December 22 and does not contain any “poison pills,” according to Politico and the Guardian. A full-year spending bill with a sizable boost for defense spending is better than the alternatives, he said.

Big Number

$1.7 trillion. That is reportedly the size of the funding package lawmakers are negotiating. The money is to be allocated to different government agencies.

Key Background

Beyond the headline figure, negotiators have not given many precise details on overall spending levels, broken down where the funds will go or outlined specifics of the agreement. This is reportedly to preserve support for the bill given the strained timeline. Bipartisan support for an omnibus package has proven elusive. Conflict has largely centered around disagreements over non-defense, domestic spending like Covid-19 funding and climate initiatives and the two parties are reportedly locked in a stalemate of around $26 billion. Republicans have criticized Democrat spending on domestic issues like Covid and climate change—which they claim was necessary and helps the country’s economic recovery—as wasteful and bad for the economy.

Further Reading

Congress Has Just Five Days To Avert A Government Shutdown—Here’s Where Negotiations Stand (Forbes)

Senate Passes Defense Bill That Will Lift Military Vaccine Mandate—Sending It To Biden’s Desk (Forbes)