Government shutdown averted as Congress passes stopgap funding bill

Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Congress has passed a short-term budget bill that would keep the federal government funded into March.

Now on its way to President Joe Biden's desk, the bill cleared the Senate Thursday with a 77-18 vote and the went through the House later in the day with a 314-108 vote.

The funding legislation covers four bills scheduled to lapse after Friday and another eight set to expire Feb. 2. It extends the funding to March 8.

Having cleared a major hurdle, lawmakers still need to pass a series of full-year spending bills before March 8.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., expressed optimism Wednesday that the continuing resolution funding could be passed by both houses by the Friday deadline. It's expected to be opposed by far-right House GOP members.

The bill passed the House with bipartisan support, despite right-wing opponents seeking to force their spending cuts agenda on Congress under threat of halting government funding.

Schumer said before the Senate vote to pass the bill Thursday, "Once we put the threat of a shutdown behind us, I hope we continue seeing even more bipartisanship as appropriators complete the very important task of fully funding the government in the coming weeks."

House Speaker Mike Johnson needed Democrats to vote for the bill to continue government funding because a few GOP Freedom Caucus far-right members opposed it.

That's the same sort of confrontation that ended in former Speaker Kevin McCarthy being ousted as speaker by the same small group of House Republicans.

Reps. Chip Roy (R-Tex.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) both have threatened to oust Johnson, who has been speaker for only 85 days, although they alone do not pose a strong threat to his speakership.