House passes bill to fund US government averting shutdown hours ahead of deadline

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks briefly to reporters just before a vote on an interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington Credit: AP

The House voted on Friday to pass a stopgap funding bill to avert a shutdown just hours before a midnight deadline.

The bill passed 366 to 34 at the eleventh hour to fund the government. The Senate worked into the night to pass it, 85-11, just after the deadline. The White House said it had ceased shutdown preparations. The measure now goes to the Senate for confirmation. Then, to President Biden to sign the bill, the White House says he intends to do so.

Majority Leader, Senator Chuck Schumer announced that the Senate has reached an agreement, "Democrats and Republicans have just reached an agreement that will allow us to pass the CR tonight before the midnight deadline".

The bill would extend government funding into March and include disaster relief and other provisions but does not include a suspension of the debt limit, which President-elect Donald Trump has been demanding Republicans address.

The vote came after House Republicans struggled to find a way to prevent the government from shutting down after Trump upended the funding push by opposing an initial bipartisan deal.

This was the third attempt this week to pass the deal through the House.

On Thursday, the Republican-led chamber tried and failed to pass a GOP funding plan backed by Trump that would have included a two-year debt limit suspension.

The vote follows a chaotic week in Congress, during which President-elect Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk attempted to undermine a bipartisan agreement between Democrats and Republicans.

The lobbying from the pair played out on social media and resulted in many House Republicans rejecting the bill.

The White House released a statement supporting the new bill, "President Biden supports moving this legislation forward and ensuring that the vital services the government provides for hardworking Americans".

If the government shutdown, it would significantly affect employees who would not be paid over the festive period and cease all non-essential government functions, including law enforcement and the closing of national parks.

Trump is no stranger to shutdowns. In December 2018, during his first administration, the United States federal government shut down for nearly a month, the longest government in history.

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