Biden Signs Funding Bill—Averting Government Shutdown

Topline

President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a funding bill to avert a looming government shutdown, following a last-minute effort to approve the measure in the Senate after a chaotic week of opposition from President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

Key Facts

Biden, whom the White House said supported the bill even though it “does not include everything we sought,” signed the measure Saturday and noted funding for disaster relief and economic assistance to farmers, among other plans included in the bill.

The Senate voted 85-11 to approve the bill, with all Democrats supporting the measure while 10 Republicans and Rep. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., voted against it, following a 366-34 vote in the House late Friday, with no Democrats opposed.

The White House said President Joe Biden supports the bill even though it “does not include everything we sought,” and will sign the bill later Saturday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., proposed the new bill designed to temporarily fund the federal government and provide disaster aid, according to the Associated Press, which noted the plan does not include the debt limit increase demanded by Trump this week.

House Republicans were initially committed to pushing separate bills that would have included an individual vote on a government funding measure designed to avoid a shutdown, but Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., later noted Johnson flipped his decision after “he spoke to Hakeem Jeffries and realized he could get Democrat votes to pass all the legislation as one bill.”

The House voted 235-174 against the previous spending bill brought forth Thursday, with 38 Republicans crossing the aisle and voting “no” alongside Democrats.

The bill sought to maintain government funding until March 14 and suspend the debt ceiling for two years, and received support from Trump, who urged both Republicans and Democrats to vote for the bill.

Earlier this week, Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk blasted a Tuesday funding bill backed by Johnson that never reached a vote, with Trump saying it would “give sweetheart provisions for government censors” and provide Congress with a pay increase while “Americans are struggling.”

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Key Background

One of Trump’s main hangups with prior spending proposals was rooted in the debt ceiling, which was not included in the first bill pitched Tuesday. The president-elect has sought to suspend or outright eliminate the debt ceiling, which is adjusted to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its debt. Several fiscally conservative Republicans have opposed raising the debt ceiling, according to The Wall Street Journal, though Trump recently blasted Republicans who pushed against changes to the debt ceiling, threatening them with primary challenges in the next election. Musk, who is one of Trump’s biggest backers, repeatedly criticized the previous spending bill in several posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, saying it “should not pass” and was “one of the worst bills ever written.”

Tangent

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, President-elect Donald Trump implied he would be fine with a government shutdown as long as didn’t bleed into his own term, saying, “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!”

Further Reading

Trump Says He’s Against Johnson’s Government Funding Bill—Tells Republicans To ‘Get Smart And Tough’ (Forbes)

Musk Says Congressional Bill To Avert Government Shutdown ‘Should Not Pass’ (Forbes)