The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill on Wednesday to prevent a partial government shutdown at midnight.

Mnuchin and Pelosi
Reutersconnect

Voting 84-10, the Republican-led Senate passed the stopgap spending bill, which extends federal agency funding until December 11, reported New York Post.

Passing the stopgap spending bill not only stops a possible government shutdown but also avoids a bipartisan fight before Election Day on November 3.

If the bill had not been passed, a government shutdown would happen on October 1, and funds will run out for the government.

The bill was passed in the House last week at a 359-57 vote. Now, the bill will go to President Donald Trump's desk for signing.

Once Trump has signed the bill, federal workers will avoid missing paychecks, and funds won't run out at midnight. With the midnight deadline, Trump has to work fast in signing the bill and make sure it's done by the end of the day.

"It should have already been done," said Senator Richard C. Shelby, the Appropriations Committee chairman, in a New York Times report. "There's overwhelming support - you need to bring certainty to the government."

The stopgap bill started as an informal agreement between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin earlier this month. They brokered the short-term spending bill as negotiations on the stimulus bill continue.

Annual appropriations for the new fiscal year broke down in the Senate this year. With many funding bills pending this year, it is unlikely for the $1.3 trillion funding to be enacted this year.

It is even more unlikely if there will be a change of president after the election, where Democratic candidate Joe Biden wins the polls and replaces Trump.

What Comes After Election?

This deal averting government shutdown is a matter that clearly has bipartisan support. But, understandably, both parties do not want to experience a shutdown right now.

Tensions are running especially high, not just with the coming elections but also with the Senate's high-stakes battle over Trump's Supreme Court pick, Amy Coney Barrett.

The spending bill can ensure the government doesn't collapse before the elections, but what comes after is still troubling.

The threat of a shutdown still looms after the election, and a fight over funding the government is sure to ensue, CNN said in a report.

What will the Stopgap Spending Bill Include?

Pelosi said in a statement that there were various policy concessions involved in the drafting of the bill.

She said there would be $8 billion in food assistance over current spending levels. There will also be billions of dollars sent to the Commodity Credit Corporation as "funds for farmers."

The bill prevents the use of these CCC funds "from being misused for a Big Oil bailout."

The CCC provision was a priority of the Republican side of the aisle, while food assistance was a priority of Democrats.

Both sides of the chambers said the goal, for now, is to pass funding bills for what is left for the fiscal year. But they also noted that there might be some changes based on what happens in the November elections.

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