Sept. 25 (UPI) — The U.S. Senate and House voted Wednesday to pass a short-term funding bill and avert a government shutdown ahead of Monday’s deadline. The Senate voted 78 to 18, following passage in the House just hours earlier.
The bill now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for final approval.
The spending measure passed in the House with a vote of 341 to 82. Support for the bill came from 209 Democrats and 132 Republicans. The 82 “no” votes came from House Republicans.
The short-term funding bill will keep the government funded at current levels through Dec. 20, while also providing $231 million in additional funding for the Secret Service following a second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Sept. 15.
The House last week voted 220-202 to defeat a previous version of the bill that included a Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, endorsed by Trump, which aimed to implement requirements for Americans to show proof of citizenship to vote. Voting as a non-citizen is already a crime.
In last week’s vote, 14 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the measure, introduced by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
Johnson over the weekend reached a deal to bring forward the “bare bones” continuing resolution that only included “extensions that are absolutely necessary” to keep federal agencies funded.
On Monday, that measure failed to reach the necessary support in the House Rules Committee, leading to Wednesday’s vote on the House floor which took place under suspension of rules — requiring support from two-thirds of House lawmakers to pass.
Despite the turmoil, Johnson predicted the continuing resolution would “pass by a wide margin.”
He asserted, however, that “the best play under the circumstances was the CR with the SAVE Act” saying that he was not “defying Trump” by moving on without it as he conceded that “it would be political malpractice to shut the government down.”
“I’ve spoken with him at great length, and he is very frustrated about the situation,” Johnson said of Trump. “His concern is election security, and it is mine, as well. It is all of ours.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Senate voted on the House funding bill Wednesday afternoon.
“American families can rest assured now that their lives won’t be needlessly upended due to an unnecessary government shutdown,” Schumer said, adding he was “pleased” that House Republicans appeared to have learned that, “partisan bully tactics” won’t work on funding legislation.
