Joe Biden signs Congress' temporary government funding deal, avoiding shutdown

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden signed a crucial government funding extension into law, after Congress passed the legislation on Wednesday to avert a shutdown that would have taken hold at the end of the month.

The legislation keeps the government's doors open through Dec. 20. The GOP-led House passed the measure by relying on Democratic support after some Republican lawmakers raised concerns about the temporary extension. The bill, known as a continuing resolution, passed 341-82 in the lower chamber. That represents 82 of 220 House Republicans voting against it.

The Senate approved the extension shortly afterward with a bipartisan vote of 78-18. Biden formally approved it on Thursday.

The funding measure was not House Speaker Mike Johnson's first choice. Last week, he proposed a six-month extension that also would include the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which would require people to prove they are U.S. citizens before they can vote.

"The best play under the circumstances was the CR with the SAVE Act," Johnson said ahead of the vote. "But we came a little short of the goal line, so we have to go with the last available play."

The bill sets up another funding battle at the end of the year shortly before Christmas, when both sides will have different context – namely, who will control the White House next year – as they negotiate funding levels.

It also includes $231 million in additional money for the Secret Service, which has come under increased scrutiny after two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump.

"Because bipartisanship ultimately prevailed, the government will stay open," Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. "This bipartisanship is a good outcome for America, and I hope it sets the tone for more constructive bipartisan work when we return later in the fall."

The measure was not controversial in the Senate, where lawmakers had pushed a December deadline without the voting measure from the beginning.

Fourteen House Republicans joined with Democrats to shoot down Johnson's first proposal, which otherwise would have been rejected by the Democrat-controlled Senate. Those who opposed the SAVE Act argued noncitizen voting is already illegal and requiring proof of citizenship to vote would create additional hurdles for the millions of Americans who don't have easy access to their citizenship documents.

Trump urged House Republicans to let the government shut down if they did not get the voting legislation passed along with a funding extension. But Johnson told his conference that it would be "political malpractice" to do that so close to an election, citing polling indicating voters probably would blame Republicans for a shutdown.

Some Republicans who voted against the funding extension said they couldn't support it because it didn't include the voting measures, while others oppose continuing resolutions in general. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was kicked out of the top job by his fellow Republicans in part because of his willingness to work with Democrats to avoid a shutdown and a default on the national debt.

"We end up in a vicious circle every single year, the same vicious circle. The American people are watching," SAVE Act sponsor Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said on the House floor ahead of the vote.

The quick passage this week allowed lawmakers to head home to their districts a few days early for the final weeks of the campaign season. They will meet next after Election Day.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Congress passes government funding extension, avoiding shutdown