Senate Passes Massive Spending Package To Avoid Partial Government Shutdown

The U.S. Senate on Friday overwhelmingly passed a $460 billion spending package to avert a partial government shutdown.

The six-bill package to fund parts of the federal government through September passed in a 75-22 vote.

“To folks who worry that divided government means nothing ever gets done, this bipartisan package says otherwise,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill Saturday.

Breaking: Senate passes $460 billion spending package 75-22, averting government shutdown https://t.co/44SB9vGEeN

— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) March 9, 2024

Just the News reports:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voted to pass the package, while Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who are looking to replace McConnell as GOP leader, voted against it.

The Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs, as well as military construction and water development, are all funded by the spending package.

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Senate conservatives led by GOP Sens. Rick Scott, Fla.; Mike Lee, Utah; and Rand Paul, Ky., opposed the bill, particularly the more than 6,000 earmarks that add up to more than $12 billion in spending.

Paul said that there is too much compromise in D.C., which leads to too much spending.

Paul said there’s a misconception that there’s no cooperation in the nation’s capital, noting plenty of compromise for spending.

“It’s compromise between big-government Democrats and big-government Republicans,” Paul said.

U.S. Senate PASSES $467.5 billion six-bill spending package funding parts of the government until September 30th, 75-22. Partial shutdown at midnight averted.

Goes now to the president. pic.twitter.com/Phh0mppIlA

— CSPAN (@cspan) March 9, 2024

The House of Representatives passed the measure earlier this week by a 339-85 vote.

House Approves Massive Spending Package, Includes $15 Million To Electronically Track Cattle

Per CBS News:

Republicans' demands for amendment votes on immigration-related and other measures slowed its passage and threatened to push the final vote to Saturday, after funding lapsed.

"We have good news for the country," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said ahead of vote. "We will keep important programs funded for moms and kids, for veterans, for the environment, for housing and so much more. Because both sides cooperated today, we've taken a major step towards our goal of fully funding the government. Today's bipartisan agreement gives us momentum and space to finish the remaining appropriation bills by March 22."

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The House passed the package Wednesday, with Democrats providing a majority of the votes needed to get it over the finish line. Conservatives held firm in their opposition to all of the recent funding extensions that lacked their preferred spending cuts and policy riders.

In a statement from the White House Friday night, the Office of Management and Budget said that it had "ceased shutdown preparations because Congress has passed the relevant appropriations and the President will sign the bill shortly. Because obligations of federal funds are incurred and tracked on a daily basis, and the President will sign the bill tomorrow, agencies will not shut down and may continue their normal operations tomorrow."

The latest measure to keep the government operating covers agriculture, energy and the environment, housing, transportation, veterans and the Justice Department through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.