The deeply divided US Congress has been unable to agree on a federal budget since September. Now the two chambers of Parliament voted again for an interim solution.
In the US budget dispute, both chambers of Congress voted for a stopgap measure that would avoid a budget freeze.
After the approval of the senators, the House of Representatives also gave the green light for interim financing until March 1st, which US President Joe Biden can now put into effect with his signature. This averted a so-called shutdown just over a day before the deadline.
Agreement shortly before the deadline
The Senate and House of Representatives passed a “continuation resolution” that guarantees funding until at least March 1st. It is the third such decision in a row. The two chambers of Congress had until midnight on Saturday night to approve the interim solution. Otherwise the financing of part of government business would have expired.
The deadline was further shortened by the House of Representatives canceling votes on Friday because of an expected winter storm.
“We have good news for America,” Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced in a speech to colleagues. “Because both sides have worked together, the government will remain open. Services will not be disrupted. We will avoid an unnecessary disaster.”
The dispute has been simmering since September
For four months now, the US Congress has been unable to pass a complete budget for the fiscal year.
Parliament is also deadlocked on the issue of foreign aid urgently requested by Democrat Biden. The Republicans are making tighter border security and stricter immigration rules a prerequisite for dealing with Biden’s request. The president is calling on Congress to approve an overall package worth $106 billion (97.5 billion euros), which will primarily benefit Ukraine and Israel. Biden met with leaders of both parties in the White House on Wednesday to bring movement to the debate.
A recently reached agreement on principles between the Republican chairman of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, and the Democratic majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, also gives hope that an agreement in the budget dispute can soon be reached. However, this is far from certain because some Republican hardliners are rebelling against it. Johnson is trying to unite these forces. His predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, fell over the funding issue.