Congress Passes Short-Term Funding Bill To Prevent A Government Shutdown

Lawmakers averted a government shutdown after passing a short-term funding bill. The bill, which funds the government until February 18, passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 221-212. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois was the only Republican to vote in favor of the continuing resolution.

The bill had more Republican support in the Senate, where it was passed by a vote of 69-28. It now heads to the desk of President Joe Biden for his signature.

A trio of Republican Senators almost derailed the bill by demanding a vote on an amendment to defund the federal vaccine mandate. The amendment, which was sponsored by Rep. Roger Marshall of Kansas, fell one vote short and was not added to the continuing resolution.

“I am glad that, in the end, cooler heads prevailed, the government will stay open, and I thank the members of this chamber for walking us back from the brink of an avoidable, needless and costly shutdown,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

With the threat of a government shutdown behind them, lawmakers will now begin the painstaking work of drafting a budget to fund the government in 2022 and avoid another fight to keep the government open after the funding expires in February.