Congress has passed a stopgap bill to keep the government from shutting down for at least another three months. The spending bill will keep government agencies funded at their current level until at least Dec. 20.
It also sets aside an extra $231 million to bolster the Secret Service in the wake of two assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed, in many senses, his hands were tied when it came to the bill.
“While continuing resolution’s never ideal — none of us like them, it’s not a way to run a railroad — it allows Congress to continue serving the American people through the election,” Johnson said. “This is not the House’s fault. It’s the Senate’s fault. They passed not a single appropriations bill, so there was nothing for the two chambers to negotiate in the end, and there was no agreement on the top line spending number. So, we had, we had no choice.”
Over in the Senate, the bill passed by a 78-18 margin. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Americans can breathe easy, because both sides have chosen bipartisanship. Congress is getting the job done.”
The bill now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
