The House has voted to approve a three-month government spending bill just hours before the shutdown deadline, marking the third attempt to avoid a government shutdown. Speaker Mike Johnson’s second spending bill, which was influenced by Donald Trump and Elon Musk, was rejected by the House. The stop-gap bill needs Senate approval before President Joe Biden can sign it into law.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that President Biden supports moving the legislation forward to ensure the vital services the government provides will continue uninterrupted. Federal funding runs out at midnight on Friday, and the White House Office of Management and Budget warned government agencies to prepare for the worst.
The latest government funding bill resembles a bipartisan plan that was abandoned earlier in the week after criticisms from Trump and Musk. The bill would maintain current government agency levels, provide additional disaster aid, and extend farm and food aid programs. The bill was rejected by the House, including 38 Republicans. Elon Musk praised Speaker Mike Johnson for revising the bill to remove unrelated provisions.
Overall, the funding battle highlighted the political influence of Trump and Musk on Congress and demonstrated how Democrats plan to navigate the incoming Trump-Musk administration. The bill needs a two-thirds majority to pass in the Senate, with voting underway following Musk’s questioning of the bill’s bipartisan nature.
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