Congress approves US budget until end of fiscal year
Illustrative photo (Getty Images)
The US Congress has reached an agreement to allocate funds to the government until the end of the fiscal year 2024, which commenced on October 1, 2023, according to The Hill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed his pride in the American government's ability to maintain operations "without cuts or poison pill riders." Schumer, along with congressional leaders, unveiled the long-awaited package on Sunday, March 3, aiming to pass it before the partial government shutdown deadline on March 8. Congress extended the funding deadline the previous week to facilitate the presentation and passage of the package.
"It’s good news that Congress has finally reached a bipartisan agreement on the first six government funding bills that will keep the government open. We are proud to be keeping the government open without cuts or poison pill riders," Schumer said.
However, a faction of conservative Republicans urged Speaker Mike Johnson to withdraw from negotiations and instead adopt measures for one-year funding with an overall budget cut.
It is expected that the funding bills will be presented and voted on this week in the House of Representatives, where they are likely to receive bipartisan support and, most probably, proceed to the Senate.
Backstory
A shutdown occurs when part of the government ceases operations due to the absence of a new budget.
Since September 2023, the US Congress failed to agree on the budget for the fiscal year 2024. Republicans are pushing for spending cuts and strengthened border security. Discussions regarding support for Ukraine are also ongoing.
On February 13, the US Senate approved a bill providing $95 billion in aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Ukraine is set to receive over $60 billion under the bill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has opposed this initiative, with the bill to have yet to be considered.
