As lawmakers continue to argue over both coronavirus stimulus and a new Supreme Court nominee, Congress has managed to agree on at least one thing: avoiding a government shutdown.
The Senate on Wednesday passed a continuing resolution, or short-term bill, that will fund the government through December 11, just ahead of the annual fiscal year deadline that comes at the end of September. The legislation advanced 84-10, and will allow government agencies to continue using federal funds until Congress passes a full spending bill for the 2021 fiscal year that begins October 1. The House passed the measure 359-57 last week, which means it now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk where he’s expected to sign it.
The resolution broadly continues funding for federal agencies at existing levels, but has an additional $8 billion for nutrition aid that Democrats pushed for as well as language renewing money for the USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation, which Republicans were eager to include to maintain a source of aid for farmers.
While holding up government funding had been floated as a potential way for Congressional Democrats to delay the Supreme Court confirmation process, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ultimately dismissed the idea. “Well, none of us has any interest in shutting down government. That has such a harmful and painful impact on so many people in our country,” she said last week during an appearance on ABC.
Lawmakers from both parties wound up supporting this funding legislation, guaranteeing that, for now, a shutdown won’t be among the slew of problems Congress is already struggling to navigate.
Government funding is currently one of the least contentious issues in Congress
While battles over government funding have resulted in extensive shutdowns in the past — including one
