The US President welcomes the passage of the budget law after days of uncertainty and fruitless negotiations.
US President Joe Biden signed the law a bipartisan funding bill That averts a government shutdown days after Congress was thrown into turmoil after President-elect Donald Trump rejected an initial deal.
The White House announced Saturday that Biden had signed the bill, which provides funding for the government through mid-March.
“This agreement represents a compromise, meaning neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects Republicans’ fast-track path to a tax cut for billionaires and ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity,” said Biden, a Democrat a statement.
“This is good news for the American people, especially as families come together to celebrate this holiday.”
The Democratic-controlled Senate passed the bill to continue government funding by a vote of 85-11 at midnight (0500 GMT) in Washington, DC on Saturday, 38 minutes after it expired.
The budget draft had deleted The Republican-controlled House of Representatives won on Friday evening with bipartisan support.
Saturday’s signing caps a turbulent week in the US Congress after Trump, who takes office in January, and his adviser, Tesla boss Elon Musk, opposed it the original bipartisan agreement.
Trump had insisted that the deal included an increase in the government’s borrowing limit. If not, he said, the government shutdown “should begin now.”
Lawmakers spent several days negotiating another deal, with massive disruptions to government services at stake during the year-end holiday season.
A closure would have meant closing non-essential operations, up to 875,000 workers would have been furloughed and up to 1.4 million more would have to work without pay.
In the final version of the law, financial resources will be made available to the government at the current level until March 14th. It also provides $100 billion in disaster relief and $10 billion in support for farmers.
However, the deal removed some provisions favored by Democrats, who accused Republicans of caving to pressure an unelected billionaire – Musk – who has no experience in government.
Some Republicans voted against the package because it did not include spending cuts.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said the party would do so more influence next yearwhen there will be majorities in both houses of Congress and Trump will be in the White House.
“This was a necessary step to bridge the gap and get us to the moment where we can put our fingerprints on the final spending decisions,” he told reporters after the House vote, adding that Trump supported the deal .
Johnson added that the compromise was “a good outcome for the country.”
Still, the episode raises the question of whether Johnson will be was able to keep his job in the face of angry Republican colleagues.
The House is scheduled to elect its next speaker on Jan. 3, when the new Congress convenes.
Republicans will have a slim majority of 220-215, leaving Johnson little room for error as he tries to win the speaker’s gavel again.
