Congress passes bill to temporarily fund the government

The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 78-18 Wednesday, shortly after the House approved it with a vote of 341-82. All 82 “no” votes were cast by Republicans. The bill is a temporary measure that funds the government at its current levels until December 20. President Biden still has to sign the bill before it can become law. Without the approval of stopgap funding, a partial government shutdown could kick in when the fiscal year ends Sept. 30.

Isn’t this the second version of the legislation? The new bill came on the heels of a failed vote last Wednesday over a similar package. That package included measures designed to strengthen the integrity of voter registration and would have extended government funding for a longer period that would have stretched into March of 2025. Fourteen Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat that earlier bill in a 202-220 vote. Three Democrats voted for the package. Two Republicans voted present.

Dig deeper: Read Leo Briceno’s report about the decision to drop voter integrity measures from its new spending deal.