US House Passes $1.2 Trillion Funding Package, Senate Rushes to Avert Shutdown
US House of Representatives voted Friday to approve a sprawling $1.2 trillion package to fund the government, kicking off a race in the Senate to ensure the lights stay on past a midnight deadline.
Party leaders in the upper chamber were scrambling to agree on a sped-up timeline to green-light the House-passed legislation, but the measure sparked anger among fiscal hawks in the lower chamber, who threatened to oust Republican speaker Mike Johnson.
On Friday, the US House of Representatives passed a comprehensive $1.2 trillion funding package for the government, initiating a rush in the Senate to avoid a shutdown before the midnight deadline.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has submitted a motion to remove Mike Johnson.
Leaders of political parties in the Senate were hastily working to negotiate an accelerated schedule to approve the legislation passed by the House, but the bill stirred frustration among budget-conscious members in the House, who vowed to potentially remove Republican speaker Mike Johnson from his position.
Update:
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has revealed a bipartisan agreement to finance the government, though the vote will not meet the midnight cutoff.
Update:
U.S military announces that civilian employees are on “non-work, non-pay status” due to the Govt funding lapse. Simultaneously, White House instructs agencies to maintain regular operations, anticipating a deal to be reached later today.
White House announces the cancellation of shutdown preparations as a funding package is anticipated to pass within hours. It states that agencies will not be shutting down and can continue their usual operations.
Update:
The US Congress approved a funding Bill on Saturday (Mar 23), demonstrating cross-party unity, keeping federal agencies running through September and averting a damaging partial government shutdown. Despite missing a midnight deadline, senators voted in the early hours to pass the US$1.2 trillion package, which had already advanced from the House.
Did you know?
US national debt stands at $34.6 trillion, with an annual budget deficit of approximately $3 trillion. Congress recently approved an additional $1.2 trillion in spending, laden with pork and earmarks. The interest on the debt alone exceeds $1 trillion per year, constituting around 20% of the government’s annual revenue.
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