The U.S. Senate on Friday passed a $460 billion spending bill to fund around half of the federal government, averting a partial shutdown hours before the deadline.
The spending packaged passed through the Senate with a bipartisan vote 75-22. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the legislation into law ahead of a midnight deadline.
The bill covers funding for a variety of programs, including agriculture, transportation, housing and veterans. Members of Congress will continue negotiating a second package with a March 22 deadline that will cover allow all federal agencies to be funded.
Photo by YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP via Getty Images
The package arrived to the Senate after it passed the House of Representatives earlier this week following months of fighting between Republicans and Democrats, which contributed to the House being left without a Speaker for a time. Stopgap bills had served as a means to keep federal agencies funded while debating continued on spending for a full year.
“To folks who worry that divided government means nothing ever gets done, this bipartisan package says otherwise,” Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat and the majority leader, said. “It helps parents and veterans and firefighters and farmers and school cafeterias and more.”
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.