The House Of Representatives Have Passed A Bill To Avert A Government Shutdown

The House of Representatives have passed a bill to avert a government shutdown. It was a temporary spending bill. Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson relied heavily on Democratic support to pass the bill. 207 Democrats joined 113 Republicans to approve the short term stop-gap measure. The Senate must still vote on the bill.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he hoped his chamber on Thursday would pass a stopgap funding bill and forward it to President Joe Biden. About two months have passed since Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Schumer agreed on a $1.59 trillion discretionary spending level for the fiscal year.

Speaker Johnson has been pressured by some in his party to push for more conservative policies, especially at the border. With Biden’s approval ratings low, especially on the issue of the border, Republicans have been pushing for tough policies on illegal immigration. Republican governors have been lamenting the Biden administration’s border policies for a while now.

The amount of illegal immigrants coming through has encouraged Republicans to use the looming shutdown as leverage for much tougher border policies than Democrats have been proposing. But even if a bill to avert a shutdown is passed, it would only kick the can to March. The bill, known as a Continuing Resolution, or CR, is only a one-week stopgap measure.

The stop-gap bill is likely to pass, after possible amendments are added. But this is a microcosm of how politics works not in the US. Permanent, comprehensive agreement continues to be elusive, and temporary measures are the only thing that can pass.

Speaker Johnson has the unenviable task of listening to his Republican base, while also keeping the government functioning. The House of Representatives have passed a bill to avert a government shutdown. But how long will this last? Will we see a permanent solution to this any time soon? It remains to be seen.