“President Biden signs temporary budget bill, postponing spending showdown.”
President Joe Biden signed a short-term spending bill just a day ahead of a possible government shutdown, escalating a standoff with congressional Republicans over the national budget into the upcoming year. This measure, approved with strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, ensures that the government will remain operational past the holiday season. It offers a window for lawmakers to address significant disparities in spending plans for the ongoing fiscal year. Biden chose San Francisco, where he is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, as the location for signing the bill.
The announcement of the signing emerged late in the evening subsequent to a dinner that the president hosted for APEC members. This spending package extends current government funding for approximately two additional months, providing a temporary buffer while negotiations continue for a more long-term solution. It introduces dual deadlines for passing comprehensive appropriations bills: January 19 for certain federal agencies and February 2 for others, which creates two critical junctures at risk of triggering a partial government shutdown.
The strategy of a two-step approach received support from newly appointed House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, but encountered opposition in the Senate. Despite this, nearly all Democrats and a contingent of 10 Republicans backed the measure to avert an imminent government shutdown. Johnson, affirming his stance, stated his unwillingness to endorse any further interim funding measures, emphasizing this temporary bill as a prelude to an impending budgetary “battle” with the Senate in the coming year.
However, notably absent from this spending bill is the White House’s substantial request for approximately $106 billion in wartime aid for Ukraine and Israel. Furthermore, it lacks humanitarian aid for Palestinians and other supplementary funding, such as resources for border security. Legislators intend to shift their focus to these provisions post the Thanksgiving break, aiming to engage in negotiations to address these crucial financial allocations.
