Wed Sep 25 10:02:48 UTC 2024: ## Congress Averts Government Shutdown With Short-Term Funding Bill

**Washington, D.C.** – The House and Senate have averted a government shutdown by approving a stopgap funding measure that will keep the government operating for three months. The bill, which was passed on Wednesday and sent to President Biden for his signature, includes $230 million in additional funding for the Secret Service following the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

The legislation, which was approved with some time to spare before the October 1 deadline, will keep the government funded until December 20. Lawmakers will now depart for a lengthy recess until after the November 5 election, leaving them with a pre-holiday deadline to pass full-year funding bills and avoid another shutdown.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed satisfaction with the outcome, highlighting the bipartisan effort that led to the passage of the stopgap bill. “This is a good outcome for the country,” he stated. “There will be no shutdown, because finally, at the end of the day, our Republican colleagues in the House decided to work with us.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, while acknowledging that the temporary funding bill was the only viable option, attributed the need for such a measure to the Senate’s failure to pass any appropriation bills. He also reiterated his opposition to a massive omnibus spending bill during the holiday season.

“This is not the House’s fault. It’s the Senate’s fault,” Johnson stated. “They passed not a single appropriations bill. So we had no choice.” He further pledged to push for the approval of all 12 full-year spending bills individually after the election.

The path forward for full-year funding remains uncertain. The House has passed a few of these bills, but on a purely partisan basis, making them unlikely to gain Senate approval. The Senate, meanwhile, has yet to vote on any individual spending bills this year.

Despite the challenges, both leaders expressed hope that the bipartisan cooperation shown in passing the stopgap bill would set the stage for more constructive work in the coming months. “I hope this positive outcome of bipartisanship can set the tone for more constructive bipartisan work when we return in the fall,” said Senator Schumer.

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