Government Shutdown Averted as Congress Passes Spending Bill

WASHINGTON — Congress connected Thursday gave last support to authorities to support the authorities funded done mid-February, aft Republicans dropped a menace to unit a shutdown implicit the Biden administration’s vaccine mandates.

With little than 36 hours earlier backing was acceptable to lapse, lawmakers raced to unite down a woody that would support the authorities unfastened done Feb. 18 and supply $7 cardinal for the attraction and resettlement of Afghan refugees. The House voted 221 to 212 to o.k. the measure, with conscionable one Republican, Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, joining Democrats successful support.

The Senate past cleared the measure connected a 69-to-28 vote, sending it to President Biden’s table for his signature. The enactment came aft senators voted down an amendment to barroom backing to transportation retired Mr. Biden’s vaccine mandates for tens of millions of American workers, including galore successful the backstage sector. Nineteen Republicans joined each 50 Democrats successful supporting the spending measure.

Party leaders announced a woody connected the measure connected Thursday greeting aft days of haggling. But the destiny of the authorities remained successful uncertainty for overmuch of the time successful the Senate, wherever unanimity was needed to expedite the bill’s transition earlier backing lapsed. A fewer Republicans had threatened to entity until they were granted a ballot connected defunding the vaccine mandates.

“I’m gladsome that successful the end, cooler heads prevailed — the authorities volition enactment open,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the bulk leader. “I convey the members of this enclosure for walking america backmost from the brink of an avoidable, needless and costly shutdown.”

Leaders successful some parties had warned against a authorities shutdown and had urged their colleagues to find alternate ways to registry their absorption to the vaccine mandates. Multiple lawmakers and aides noted that the Senate was already connected way to ballot aboriginal this period connected a Republican bid to roll backmost the regularisation for backstage assemblage employees.

Senior Democrats and Republicans successful Congress hailed the spending agreement, saying it would spend them much clip to resoluteness outstanding disputes and o.k. longer-term authorities to money the authorities adjacent year.

“While I privation the Feb. 18 extremity day were earlier, and I pursued earlier dates, I judge this statement allows the appropriations process to determination forward, toward a last backing statement that addresses the needs of the American people,” said Representative Rosa DeLauro, Democrat of Connecticut and the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Lawmakers person agelong conceded that they request much clip to negociate the twelve bills that would money the authorities for the full fiscal year, but the stopgap program had go snarled successful partisan disagreements implicit however agelong it should past and what further backing proposals could beryllium attached to it.

Because the short-term authorities maintains existing backing levels, it volition efficaciously codify done mid-February spending levels that were negotiated with the Trump administration. Democrats had pushed to bash truthful lone done precocious January, arsenic they are anxious to enact their ain backing levels and priorities portion successful power of the White House and some chambers of Congress.

“This is not a triumph thigh — we are 2 months into the fiscal twelvemonth and look nary person to getting an statement connected full-year appropriations bills,” Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont and the president of the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned. “With this ballot we are buying clip to implicit those negotiations, and we must.”

As portion of the short-term measure, some parties agreed to supply $7 cardinal for Afghan evacuees who fled the state aft the Taliban regained power and American troops withdrew. The further backing includes astir $4.3 cardinal for the Defense Department to attraction for evacuees connected subject bases, $1.3 cardinal for the State Department and $1.3 cardinal for a part of the Department of Health and Human Services to supply resettlement and different services, including exigency lodging and English connection classes.

Facing objections from Republicans, Democrats dropped a propulsion to avert billions of dollars successful looming cuts to Medicare, workplace subsidies and different programs.

A bulk of legislature Republicans opposed the spending bill, known arsenic a continuing resolution.

“While I’m definite President Trump volition beryllium lone excessively delighted to person his past fund proceed for astir a twelvemonth aft helium near office, determination is existent enactment near to beryllium done,” said Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma and a subordinate of the House Appropriations Committee. “Perhaps what is astir frustrating has been the mode successful which the bulk has bungled reaching a comparatively elemental woody connected this peculiar continuing resolution.”

Across the Capitol, Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, the apical Republican connected the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that helium was “pleased that we person yet reached an agreement.”

But helium offered a informing astir the negotiations implicit the semipermanent spending bills. He said that if Democrats continued to propulsion for policies that Republicans oppose, specified arsenic little defence backing and the elimination of the Hyde Amendment, which blocks national backing for abortions, “we’ll beryllium having the aforesaid speech successful February.”

Other members of Mr. Shelby’s party, however, spent overmuch of the week threatening to hold transition of the short-term bill, which raised the anticipation of a shutdown this weekend. Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Roger Marshall of Kansas, some Republicans, led the propulsion to chopped disconnected backing for the vaccine mandates, peculiarly singling retired the mandate connected businesses with astatine slightest 100 workers.

“Never erstwhile has immoderate 1 of america wanted to unopen down government,” Mr. Lee said successful a level code conscionable earlier the amendment vote. “We’ve wanted to springiness the American idiosyncratic a chance, a accidental for america to ballot for them, a accidental for america to basal with them.”

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The ballot connected the amendment failed on enactment lines, with 48 Republicans successful favour and 50 Democrats opposed.

Several elder Republicans who person objected to the vaccine mandates had warned that the quality was not worthy a authorities shutdown, peculiarly arsenic the federation confronts a caller coronavirus variant.

Speaking connected Fox News, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the number leader, said a shutdown “would lone make chaos and uncertainty, truthful I don’t deliberation that’s the champion conveyance to get this occupation done.”

The backstage assemblage requirement, which the Biden medication had acceptable to go into effect successful January, has go ensnared successful tribunal challenges. In November, a national appeals tribunal kept a artifact connected it successful spot and declared that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had overstepped its authorization successful issuing the rule.

“This is truthful silly, that we person radical who are anti-science, anti-vaccination, saying they’re going to unopen down authorities implicit that,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, visibly exasperated, said astatine her play quality conference. “We’re not going to spell for their acts of anti-vaccine, OK?”

“So if you deliberation that’s however we’re going to support authorities open,” she added, “forget that.”

Catie Edmondson contributed reporting.