US Government Shutdown Prevented as Joe Biden Signs Funding Bill; Americans React
The US government shutdown was averted after President Joe Biden signed a funding bill that would extend government funding for 45 days. This came after the Republican-controlled House finally passed the funding bill before it was passed in the Senate. It then arrived at President Biden's desk with the POTUS signing it into law, averting a catastrophe.
The funding bill was done through a bipartisan effort that had all but one of the Democrats support the bill along with a majority of the Republicans to avert a crisis that would have been brought about by in-fighting within the GOP.
The bill arrived at Pres. Joe Biden's desk with little time to spare, with both sides placing some of the less contentious subjects in the bill, such as aid to Ukraine, a White House priority opposed by a lot of Republicans. It did, however, have one of Biden's top priorities get increased funding. This is an additional $16 billion increase in federal disaster assistance, according to the Associated Press.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy also had to abandon some of his own agendas, including demands for steep spending cuts, which were spearheaded by his far-right opposition. To pass this spending bill, he had to rely on the Democrats and somehow managed to pass the bill with their help.
The government will stay afloat until November 17, 2023. This gives both sides more time to negotiate a much more in-depth spending bill while also getting to pay the salaries of US government workers and keep national parks open.
"This is good news for the American people," said the president as he released a statement after averting a crisis that would have stopped the government from functioning. He added that the US "cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted" and expected McCarthy "will keep his commitment to the people of Ukraine and secure passage of the support needed to help Ukraine at this critical moment."
The Republican Infighting That Almost Led to the US Government Shutdown
Speaker Kevin McCarthy received much opposition from his Republican peers, especially from ultra-conservative far-right members of the extremely pro-Donald Trump House Freedom Caucus. While most Republicans voted for the bipartisan package, 90 still opposed it.
Donald Trump had been reportedly encouraging his allies at the House to fight hard for their priorities and even to "shut it down." As for McCarthy, he had been trying to placate them by making multiple concessions in the previously rejected spending bill. This includes returning to the spending limits the conservatives demanded back in January.
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Americans React to Joe Biden Averting a US Government Shutdown
As the US government narrowly avoided a shutdown, it drew mixed reactions, with many Trump supporters blaming the Democrats for the shutdown as usual, rather than the actual cause, while many celebrated not getting furloughed. There were also a lot of people blasting the Republicans for holding the government hostage for their infighting.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: How an Imminent Government Shutdown Was Triggered by GOP Infighting | WSJ - Wall Street Hournal