Washington: After Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy reneged on an earlier demand by his party's hardliners for a partisan bill, the US Congress enacted a stopgap financing bill late on Saturday with resounding Democratic backing. To prevent the fourth partial closure of the federal government in a decade, the Democratic-majority Senate voted 88-9 to adopt the bill. President Joe Biden will now sign it into law before the deadline of 12:01 a.m. ET (0401 GMT).
McCarthy renounced the insistence of party hardliners that any bill pass the house with only Republican votes, a reversal that would prompt one of his members on the far right to try to remove him from his leadership position. To fund the government through November 17th, the House voted 335-91, with more Democrats voting in favour than Republicans.
That action represented a significant change from earlier in the week, when a shutdown seemed all but certain. A government shutdown would result in the closure of a number of federal agencies, including the National Park Service and financial regulators, as well as the nonpayment of most of the 4 million employees of the government, regardless of whether they were working or not.
Federal agencies have already created elaborate plans that outline what services will continue, such as border patrols and airport screening, and what must stop, such as scientific research and feeding assistance for 7 million low-income moms.
After the vote, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said: "The American people can breathe a sigh of relief: There will be no government shutdown tonight." Democrats have said from the beginning that bipartisanship is the only way to prevent a shutdown, and they are pleased that Speaker McCarthy has finally taken their advice.
Democrats declare victory
Democrats hailed the outcome as a victory because 209 Democrats voted in favour of the plan, significantly more than the 126 Republicans who did. Leading House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries told reporters prior to the vote that "extreme MAGA Republicans have lost, the American people have won," alluding to the slogan "Make America Great Again" adopted by former President Donald Trump and many hardline Republicans.
"I am relieved that Speaker McCarthy folded and finally allowed a bipartisan vote at the eleventh hour on legislation to stop Republicans' rush to a disastrous shutdown," Democratic Representative Don Beyer stated.
Mitch McConnell, the senior Senate Republican, supported McCarthy's change even though the House version removed support for Ukraine. McConnell had previously endorsed a similar legislation that was passing through the Senate with strong bipartisan support.
For several hours, Democratic Senator Michael Bennett tried to reach an agreement for additional Ukraine help.
It is simpler to help Ukraine with the government open than if it were closed, according to Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen. "While I would have preferred to pass a bill now with additional assistance for Ukraine, which has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, it is easier to help Ukraine with the government open than if it were closed," he said.
McCarthy played down worries that radical Republicans may try to remove him as leader.
McCarthy told reporters, "I want to be the adult in the room, go ahead and try. And, what do you know? I'm willing to put my position at risk in order to defend the interests of the American people.
According to him, House Republicans will move on with their plans to approve more funding bills that reduce spending and include other conservative demands like tougher border controls.
Credit Issues
Just a few months prior, Congress forced the federal government to the verge of going into default on its $31.4 trillion in debt. The drama has caused concern on Wall Street, where the Moody's ratings agency has issued a warning that it may hurt the creditworthiness of the United States.
In order to purchase more time to negotiate the complex legislation that determines funding for federal programmes, Congress often issues short-term spending measures. Republicans who have pushed to restrict immigration and reduce spending below levels agreed upon in the debt-ceiling standoff in the spring have obstructed House action this year.
The amount of discretionary spending that can be authorised in fiscal 2024 is limited by the McCarthy-Biden agreement that prevented default. House Republicans are requesting more cutbacks of $120 billion.
The U.S. budget for current fiscal year is $6.4 trillion, yet only a small portion of that sum is the subject of the funding debate. Social Security and Medicare are two well-known benefit programmes that lawmakers are not considering cutting.
We shouldn't have ever found ourselves in this predicament. In a statement following the vote, Biden stated, "Just a few months ago, Speaker McCarthy and I negotiated a budget agreement to avert precisely this type of manufactured catastrophe. "House Republicans attempted to back out of that agreement by calling for dramatic cuts that would have had a catastrophic impact on millions of Americans. They fell short.
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