Jan. 18 (UPI) — The Senate passed a short-term budget bill that would keep the federal government funded into March, with a 77-18 vote Thursday. The House is expected to vote on it later Thursday.
The funding legislation covers four bills scheduled to lapse after Friday and another eight set to expire Feb. 2. It extends the funding to March 8.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., expressed optimism Wednesday that the continuing resolution funding could be passed by both houses by the Friday deadline. It’s expected to be opposed by far-right House GOP members.
The bill is expected to pass the House with bipartisan support through use of a suspension of the rules, despite the right-wing opposition to funding the government.
They are seeking to force their spending cuts agenda on Congress under threat of halting government funding.
Schumer said before the Senate vote to pass the bill Thursday, “Once we put the threat of a shutdown behind us, I hope we continue seeing even more bipartisanship as appropriators complete the very important task of fully funding the government in the coming weeks.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson needs Democrats to vote for the bill to continue government funding because a few GOP Freedom Caucus far-right members oppose it.
That’s the same sort of confrontation that ended in former Speaker Kevin McCarthy being ousted as speaker by the same small group of House Republicans.
