Shutdown avoided by the skin of its teeth. The Senate of United States approved the new plan that avoids the budget paralysis and the resulting shutdown of federal operations before Christmas.
The bill was green-lighted shortly after the midnight deadline (6 a.m. in Italy), but the White House office in charge of declaring the shutdown did not do so, counting on the imminent Senate vote. In the end, the agreement passed with 85 votes in favor and 11 against, and will have to be signed by President Joe Biden. It had already been approved by the Chamber on Friday evening by a very large majority, with 366 votes in favor and 34 against.
Shutdown averted: Trump rejoices
“Success in Washington! “President Mike Johnson and the House have reached a great deal for the American people,” the president-elect wrote. Donald Trump on his social network Truth.
“The law just approved is in the name ofAmerica First“, said the speaker of the US House Mike Johnson, immediately after the passage of the new measure to avoid the shutdown. “I have been in close contact with Trump, he knows exactly what we were doing and he agreed,” added the Republican, stressing that he also spoke with Elon Musk who called his job, as speaker, “the most difficult in the world”.
The Biden said he supports the bill to avoid a federal government shutdown. “According to an order from President-elect Trump, Republicans yesterday overturned a bipartisan agreement and threatened to paralyze the government at the last minute to pave the way for tax breaks for billionaires. This legislation does not do that,” White House spokeswoman Karin Jean-Pierre said in a statement, giving her blessing to the measure.
What the plan entails
The approved plan calls for federal funding at current levels through March 14 and $110 billion in spending on hurricane relief and agriculture. It does not include the debt ceiling increase sought by the president-elect.
