Biden Approves Funding Plan for Federal Government
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Washington, Dec 21 (NationPress) US President Joe Biden enacted legislation on Saturday to fund the federal government through mid-March, stating that this is positive news for the American populace, especially as families come together for festive celebrations this holiday season.
The bill was initially passed by the House of Representatives on Friday evening, concluding days of uncertainty sparked by President-elect Donald Trump's instructions to Republican lawmakers to abandon a previous bipartisan agreement, along with his request to halt the debt ceiling.
The House voted against the bill he advocated for, with numerous Republicans aligning with Democrats.
Without the clause Trump requested, the House passed the legislation, which the Senate approved just after midnight, forwarding it to the White House.
"This agreement signifies a compromise, meaning neither party obtained everything they wished for. However, it dismisses the expedited route to tax reductions for billionaires that Republicans pursued, and it guarantees that the government can continue operating at full capacity," Biden stated, adding: "That's positive news for the American populace, particularly as families come together to celebrate this holiday season."
Major segments of the US federal government faced the risk of shutdown if a funding plan was not enacted by the midnight deadline on Friday-Saturday. Following the end of the fiscal year on September 30, a temporary funding plan was established to keep the government operating until that deadline.
A shutdown would have affected the majority of the federal government, although not in its entirety.
Exceptions are made for essential services such as law enforcement and air traffic control, as well as fee-funded services, including visa services from the State Department and certain operations from the Citizenship and Immigration Department.
However, essential service employees will not receive pay until Congress approves a spending bill, while other employees will be required to remain home without compensation.
This scenario has been averted temporarily with a spending plan that maintains funding for the federal government until mid-March, allocating $100 billion for disaster relief and $10 billion for agricultural support.
