US Congress passes stopgap measure to prevent government shutdown
The United States (US) Congress gave its go-ahead to a "stopgap funding bill" on Saturday to avert a damaging government shutdown and keep federal agencies running until mid-November. The House of Representatives approved the 45-day stopgap measure by a vote of 335-91, with 126 Republicans in favor compared to 209 Democrats, just hours before federal agencies' funding expired.
Republican McCarthy's key role in approval
According to Reuters, Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy abandoned his party hardliners' insistence that any bill pass the chamber with only Republican votes. This change could also bring an untimely end to his speaker role. Reportedly, the shutdown crisis was mainly triggered by a small group of Republicans who went against their party leadership by blocking several temporary funding proposals and advocating for spending cuts.
Significance of stopgap funding bill's approval
This move marked a major shift from earlier in the week when a shutdown appeared all but certain, which would have shut down a wide variety of government services and left the majority of the government's 4 million employees unpaid. While the go-ahead will guarantee the US government is funded until November 17, it also increases federal disaster relief by 16 billion dollars.
Biden thanks Congress for 'preventing an unnecessary crisis'
In an official release, US President Joe Biden stated, "Tonight, Congress voted to keep the government open, preventing an unnecessary crisis that would have inflicted needless pain on millions of hardworking Americans." "This is good news, but I want to be clear: we should never have been in this position in the first place," Biden wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Biden urges 'Congress to get to work right away'
Furthermore, after officially penning the bill, the US president announced, "I just signed a law to keep the government open for 47 days. There's plenty of time to pass government funding bills for the next fiscal year, and I strongly urge Congress to get to work right away." "The American people expect their government to work. Let's make sure it does," Biden added.
Biden's post on X
McCarthy might lose speaker role: Report
On the other hand, news agency AFP reported that some Democrats have indicated they could back McCarthy in case an ouster attempt happened during such a tumultuous time. Meanwhile, several others have suggested they might back a reasonable Republican who is willing to share the gavel with them and permit power-sharing within the House committees.
Know how McCarthy reacted to his removal talks
Reacting to the backlash over his move, McCarthy told the media afterward, "If someone wants to remove (me) because I want to be the adult in the room, go ahead and try." "But I think this country is too important. If I have to risk my job for standing up for the American public, I will do that," the Republican speaker added.
