Senate Ready to Approve Budget Bill

The U.S. Senate is expected to finalize approval on Friday for legislation to fund multiple federal agencies through September, preventing a potential government shutdown starting at midnight.

The House of Representatives passed the package of fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills on Wednesday, with a vote of 339-85, ensuring the continuation of operations for various programs including agriculture, transportation, housing, energy, and veterans affairs.

However, 83 Republican members of the House, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, opposed the bill, necessitating support from Democrats to pass it.

This outcome disappointed far-right Republicans who were pushing for deeper spending cuts given the significant national debt nearing $34.5 trillion.

This situation reflects over a year of discord in the House, particularly among its conservative Freedom Caucus members, who have been causing internal strife over leadership choices and the delay of essential spending bills.

Despite the challenges, House Appropriations Committee Republicans expressed satisfaction with the legislation as it fulfills a 2022 campaign pledge to curb government spending.

House Democrats highlighted the Republican discord and emphasized their role in breaking the budget impasse, positioning themselves as the more reasonable party compared to the GOP and former President Donald Trump.

While the Senate is anticipated to pass the legislation easily and send it to President Joe Biden for approval, the funding battles for the current fiscal year are far from over. Debate still looms over remaining bills, including funding for defense, homeland security, healthcare, financial services, and foreign operations, with a deadline set for March 22.

Congress was expected to pass all appropriations bills by October 1, the start of the fiscal year, but this delay has been unprecedentedly chaotic and prolonged, necessitating multiple short-term funding extensions to prevent disruptions in agency operations.

In previous instances, Congress has missed its deadline, leading to prolonged debate and weekend sessions to secure funding passage.

Congress has already approved four temporary funding measures to keep agencies functioning at current levels while awaiting final appropriations.