Senate Approves Federal Budget; Budget on President Biden's Desk

The Senate approved a $1.2 trillion budget at 2 AM on Saturday (Eastern Time) after a last-minute agreement, preventing a partial government shutdown in the United States. The bill passed in the Senate with a vote of 74 in favor to 24 against, following a midnight deadline for the passage of important legislation that had been approved by the House of Representatives on Friday. Late Friday night, the Senate reached a last-minute agreement to vote on the government budget package to avert a partial government shutdown that was set to begin at midnight. Despite the House voting earlier on Friday, the Senate vote was delayed for hours amid negotiations over an agreement to expedite the Senate's approval. Republicans demanded a vote on 'controversial' amendments that could put some vulnerable Senate Democrats in difficult positions, which included up to 12 amendment votes before the final budget approval. The approval of the current $1.2 trillion package secured the remaining federal budget before the deadline, covering funding for the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, and Department of Health and Human Services, thus preventing the shutdown of federal government offices. Earlier this month, Congress approved the first package that included six annual spending bills before the deadline, which funded agencies within the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Food and Drug Administration and other federal programs. Earlier on Friday, the House passed a second package that included six funding bills, including budgets for the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, and Department of Health and Human Services. The House approved the $1.2 trillion funding package just hours before the budget was set to expire for some key federal government agencies; an action that came after months of delays. Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, presented the proposal under a process that required only a two-thirds majority support for approval. The proposal passed the House with 286 votes in favor and 134 against. The proposal barely met the necessary threshold for approval in the House, as more Republicans voted against it, and this approach may pose challenges for Mike Johnson's 'position' as Speaker of the House in the coming weeks. With the federal budget approved in the Senate, the bill was sent to the White House for final signature and enactment into law.