After an hours-long delay Wednesday night, the Senate voted to pass the two-tier, short-term funding bill that will partially fund the federal government through the early months of 2024.
The bill, which passed 87 to 11, now goes to Biden’s desk to be signed into law before the midnight Friday shutdown deadline. The legislation only needed 60 votes to pass.
One Democrat — Michael Bennet (Colo.) — and ten Republicans opposed the continuing resolution. The dissenting Republican senators were the following: Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Mike Braun (Ind.), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Mike Lee (Utah), Rand Paul (Ky.), Jim Risch (Idaho), Eric Schmitt (Mo.), Rick Scott (Fla.), Tommy Tuberville (Ala.), and J.D. Vance (Ohio).
The latest continuing resolution, which does not include any aid for Israel or Ukraine, provides funding for some federal agencies until mid January and others through early February, keeping different parts of the government functioning until then. The legislation extends the deadline for four appropriations bills to January 19 and the eight remaining bills to February 2, giving Congress ample time to pass the dozen spending bills, though negotiations will be difficult considering the divides within both parties over foreign aid and military spending.
“I have good news for the American people: This Friday night, there will be no government shutdown,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said in a floor speech shortly before the vote. “Keeping the government open is a good outcome, but we have a lot more work to do after Thanksgiving.”
The Senate vote was initially held up because Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Roger Wicker (R., Miss.) wanted Schumer to commit to a conference-committee meeting with the House regarding the fiscal year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate planned to hold a procedural vote on the annual defense budget Wednesday night, but Wicker wanted Schumer to agree on a set date to ensure final passage, which they did.
Before the chamber proceeded to pass the continuing resolution, a vote was held on Paul’s amendment, which proposed 15 percent spending cuts across the board outside the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments. The amendment failed as expected.
The anticipated Senate vote came one day after a bipartisan House overwhelmingly approved Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R., La.) temporary funding plan. The stopgap bill was met with more than the required two-thirds support from 209 Democrats and 127 Republicans on Tuesday. The final vote was 336-95, with opposition coming from two Democrats — Representatives Jake Auchincloss (Mass.) and Mike Quigley (Ill.) — and a substantial 93 Republicans. The GOP House Freedom Caucus formally opposed the bill earlier in the day hours before votes were cast.
Congress passed and Biden signed the prior, 45-day continuing resolution the night of the September 30 deadline, just before fiscal year 2024 began.