2023-11-15 01:20:39
© Reuters. President of the Chamber of Deputies, Mike Johnson 11/14/2023 REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
By David Morgan and Moira Warburton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States House of Representatives approved a measure on Tuesday to avoid a partial shutdown of the federal government, with the support of a large part of parliamentarians from both parties.
The short-term legislation now heads to the Senate, where Democratic and Republican leaders have voiced their support.
To avoid a shutdown, the Republican-controlled Senate and House need to pass legislation that US President Joe Biden can sign into law before current funding for federal agencies expires at midnight on Friday.
The score of 336 votes in favor and 95 against was a victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson, who faced opposition from some of his Republican peers, in the first important vote of his term.
Johnson was elected to office less than three weeks ago after weeks of unrest that left the House without a leader. With a slim majority of 221 seats to Democrats’ 213, he cannot afford to lose more than three Republican votes on bills Democrats oppose.
The interim spending bill extends government funding at current levels until early 2024, giving lawmakers more time to craft detailed spending bills that cover everything from the military to scientific research.
Some Republicans on the right wing of the party said they were frustrated that the bill did not include the sharp spending cuts and border security measures they sought.
Johnson’s predecessor as House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, was ousted by a handful of Republicans after a similar vote in September that relied on Democratic votes to avoid a shutdown.
But hardline Conservatives said they were not turning against Johnson. “We don’t support the bill. But we support Johnson,” said Rep. Bob Good.
Johnson’s bill extends funding for military construction, veterans’ benefits, transportation, housing, urban development, agriculture, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and energy and water programs until January 19. Funding for all other federal operations — including defense — will expire on February 2.
Congress is in its third fiscal impasse this year after a months-long standoff over more than $31 trillion in U.S. debt that brought the federal government to the brink of default.
Continued partisan gridlock led Moody’s on Friday to lower the outlook on its credit recommendation for the U.S. to “negative” from “stable” as it noted that high interest rates would continue to drive up borrowing costs.
(Reporting by David Morgan; additional reporting by Moira Warburton, Richard Cowan, Katharine Jackson and Susan Heavey)
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