Congress Approves Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown and Sends It to Biden

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a temporary funding bill on Thursday to finance the federal government until early March and avoid a partial government shutdown, sending it to President Joe Biden for approval. The measure was approved with a majority of 314 votes to 108, with opposition from 106 Republicans and two Democrats. Earlier on Thursday, the Senate easily approved the bill with a vote of 77 to 18 before the deadline at the beginning of the week. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, stated before the vote, "We have good news for America, there will be no shutdown on Friday." However, not all Republicans in the House shared this sentiment. Representative Bob Good told reporters after the vote, "It’s a loss for the American people that there’s collusion with the Democrats to form a governing coalition to implement what Schumer and the Senate want." Both chambers expedited the voting in anticipation of a snowstorm today that could hinder lawmakers from leaving for the weekend.