WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 14: U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) takes a cellphone name as he leaves the … [+]
That collective sigh you simply heard? Despite weeks of posturing, the House handed laws to maintain the federal authorities’s lights on. The invoice now strikes to the Senate, days forward of the deadline.
If it seems like deja vu over again, you’re not unsuitable. Earlier this 12 months, there have been worries that the federal government would run out of cash for the subsequent fiscal 12 months. The deadline at the moment was Sept. 30, and with no compromise, the federal government would have shut down, which means that every one nonessential authorities capabilities would have stopped. However, a last-minute invoice kicked the can down the street for an additional 90 days—that invoice, framed as a unbroken decision, handed the House with a vote of 335-91.
Some on the Hill modified their vote for the most recent short-term invoice. The most up-to-date rely was 336-95, with ninety-three Republicans and two Democrats voting no—however that was sufficient. The invoice was handed beneath a suspension of the foundations, which signifies that solely a two-thirds vote was required.
The House invoice extends funding for presidency companies at present spending ranges. That means there have been no spending cuts, together with these focused to the IRS. Earlier this 12 months, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) launched a supplemental appropriations bundle that would supply $14.3 billion in army help to Israel in trade for slashing an equal quantity of IRS funding.
The extensions are solely short-term. Specifically, funds for army and veterans packages, agriculture and meals businesses, as nicely the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development will now run out on Jan. 19, 2024. Money for the Department of State, in addition to the Departments of Defense, Commerce, Labor, and Health and Human Services, will now run out on Feb. 2, 2024, until extra measures move.
The invoice doesn’t embody funding for Israel and Ukraine, or cash to shore up border safety. Those points—particularly with the upcoming elections—had been thought-about too charged to be thought-about within the present political local weather. However, they may seemingly be important dialogue factors subsequent 12 months.
With a couple of days to spare till the Nov. 17 deadline, the measure now strikes to the Senate, the place it’s anticipated to move. If it does, the White House has signaled that President Biden will signal the invoice into legislation.
