Biden signs stopgap bill to avert government shutdown, extend funding deadline

March 1 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden of Friday signed a stopgap spending bill, keeping the lights on in Washington for at least another week.

The short-term funding measure sets March 8 and March 22 as deadlines to provide more time for Congress to finalize and pass full-year funding bills.

Lawmakers in the House and the Senate approved the bill Thursday before leaving the Capitol for the weekend. The stopgap spending bill pushes the deadline to March 8 to fund the Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Interior, Justice and Housing and Urban Development departments with permanent bills for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Congress has until March 22 to finalize funding bills for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Defense and other federal departments.

"This bipartisan agreement prevents a damaging shutdown and allows more time for Congress to work toward full-year funding bills. That's good news for the American people. But I want to be clear: This is a short-term fix -- not a long-term solution," Biden said in a statement obtained by the Hill.

"In the days ahead, Congress must do its job and pass full-year funding bills that deliver for the American people. And House Republicans must act on the bipartisan National Security Supplemental, which already passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and would pass the House if it was brought to a vote."

The national security bill would provide millions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, Israel and Indo-Pacific allies.

The stopgap spending bill Biden signed Friday is the third House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has put on the floor and passed with Democratic support since taking the gavel in September. This has put him at odds with fellow Republicans who have pushed back on additional short-term funding and working with Democrats.

Johnson assumed the role of speaker after House Republicans ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for similar reasons.