U.S. Senate Passes Interim Budget to Avert Government Shutdown, Trump Expresses Displeasure

The U.S. Senate has passed a crucial interim budget bill that will fund government operations through March 2024, effectively preventing a potential government shutdown. The bill, approved by the Senate on Saturday, received strong bipartisan support, with 85 votes in favor and 11 against. The House of Representatives also passed the bill, with 366 votes in favor and 34 against, ensuring that federal funds will continue to flow for the next few months.

This budget package includes $100 billion in emergency aid and $10 billion for farmers, but notably, it does not include provisions for raising the federal debt ceiling. The decision to bypass a debt ceiling increase was a key point of contention, particularly among Republican lawmakers.

The bill’s approval was a significant victory for the Biden administration, which had warned that a shutdown would disrupt federal services and impact millions of federal employees. However, former President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the process, as many Republican lawmakers voted against his preferred version of the bill, which included a debt ceiling increase. Trump’s criticism highlighted ongoing divisions within the Republican Party.

A government shutdown, which would result in the temporary suspension of federal services and the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers, had been a looming threat as the deadline approached. The last major shutdown, in December 2018, lasted for 34 days, making it the longest in U.S. history.

With the approval of this interim budget, the immediate risk of a shutdown has been avoided, allowing the government to continue functioning while discussions about long-term fiscal solutions continue.