The United States Congress voted this Saturday morning (21) to avoid a shutdown after House Republican leaders withdrew a demand from Donald Trump on the national debt limit.
The Senate vote began shortly after midnight, and concluded with 85 votes in favor and 11 against.
The main goal was to pass a bill that extends government funding through March and provides disaster assistance and farm aid, but does not include a suspension of the debt limit.
The president is expected to sign the provisional bill later today.
House Speaker Mike Johnson brought a stopgap funding bill to the floor on Friday that did not include a suspension of the debt limit. It was approved by 366 votes in favor and 34 against.
The bill will fund the government through March 14, 2025, and includes about $100 billion in disaster aid as well as an extension of the farm bill.
After the , Johnson told reporters he spoke with earlier in the evening and said he thinks the president-elect is “happy” with the result.
I was in contact with Trump throughout this process. I spoke to him about 45 minutes ago. He knew exactly what we were doing and this is a good result for the country. I think he is certainly happy with this result too
Mike Johnson
On Friday night, before the vote, the Senate unanimously approved the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 program, which reauthorizes a pediatric cancer research initiative through the National Institutes of Health through 2028.
The provision was originally part of the funding deal negotiated by congressional leadership, but was dropped after Trump pushed for a “clean” short-term spending package with no extra measures included.
House Republicans responded to outrage over cutting funding for the package, arguing that Senate Democrats were to blame for waiting months to introduce the bill. The House approved the reauthorization of research funding in March.
