Senate Approaches Vote on Stopgap Funding Measure

The Senate, after entering into debate on approving a House-passed continuing resolution to keep the government open, is expected to vote by early evening on the measure. 

The debate, expected to last for two hours at most, started at 4:20 p.m. EST, with the Senate expected to vote by 6:30 p.m., reports The Washington Post. The vote has not been yet held, but the measure must pass and be signed by President Joe Biden to avoid the shutdown.

The House Saturday approved the stopgap plan after Democrats agreed to back the last-minute proposal put forward by Speaker Kevin McCarthy to keep money going to government agencies for the next 45 days, while continuing to provide billions of dollars in disaster recovery efforts but not including money for Ukraine. 

The measure was approved in the House by a vote of 335-91, with 209 Democrats and 126 Republicans voting yes, and votes against coming from 90 Republicans and one Democrat.

Just before the bill passed in the House, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced Senate Republicans will vote against advancing the Senate’s bipartisan proposal that has been reached and defer to the House measure, which they believe is the way to avert a government shutdown, reports The Hill.

Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told CNN Saturday afternoon, while leaving a Democrat caucus meeting, that the vote was also expected to come up quickly. CNN reports the indication is that Democrats in the Senate will vote to approve the House bill, considering the near-unanimous party vote in the House.

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., had a hold on the resolution over Ukraine aid. “He wants a commitment to vote on a supplemental soon,” reported Andrew Desiderio and Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News via X.