House passes spending bill, US government escapes shutdown threat

On December 20, the US House of Representatives passed a temporary spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, just hours before the deadline.

According to Reuters, the US House of Representatives voted 366-34 to pass the bill, a day after rejecting President-elect Donald Trump's debt ceiling request. All 34 votes against came from Republican members of Congress. Although passed by the House, the bill will need further consideration by the Senate.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to reporters at the Capitol on December 19, 2024.

The bill would extend the US government's budget until March 14, including $100 billion in aid for disaster-hit states and $10 billion for agriculture . However, the bill does not include raising the debt ceiling, a task that US President-elect Trump has asked Republicans to address.

The bill also includes a provision to postpone the debt ceiling until January 2027, meaning trillions more dollars will be added to the current federal debt of $36 trillion.

White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre praised the Republican move in the U.S. House of Representatives to secure funding and avoid a government shutdown. "President Joe Biden supports moving forward with this legislation and ensuring that essential government services are provided to hard-working Americans," CNN quoted Pierre as saying.

Why do Republican congressmen oppose the budget bill even though Mr. Trump supports it?

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he had been in "regular contact" with President-elect Trump throughout negotiations on a new temporary spending bill to prevent a government shutdown. Johnson also noted that he had spoken with billionaire Elon Musk – a key figure in this budget battle – about the challenges of the job.

If Congress doesn't act before the deadline, government agencies will grind to a halt, and millions of federal employees will go unpaid. According to Reuters, citing sources familiar with the matter, the White House has warned government agencies to prepare for an impending shutdown. The last time the federal government shut down was for 35 days during Trump's first term due to a border security dispute.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ha-vien-thong-qua-du-luat-chi-tieu-chinh-phu-my-thoat-nguy-co-dong-cua-185241221074852394.htm