(UnitedVoice.com) – Congress and the White House have been fighting over spending for months. As a result, the government appears to constantly be on the cusp of shutting down. Lawmakers recently voted on a spending bill to keep the government open, and President Joe Biden has now signed the bill.
On March 23, Biden signed a $1.2 trillion spending package into law. His signature came just hours after the Senate passed the bill during a late-night vote. The deadline to pass the legislation came and went at midnight, but lawmakers were able to push the appropriations bills through before it had any impact on the government.
The package funds six appropriations bills for financial services, the Defense Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and others.
The president’s signature ended a long fight between Congress to pass a budget for fiscal year 2024. The battle over the budget even led to the ousting of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) in October. His party pushed him out of office after he negotiated with Democrats on a short-term bill to keep the government running. As a result, he became the first speaker in history to be kicked out of office.
In a statement to the American people, Biden said the budget negotiated between Republicans and Democrats doesn’t just keep the government running; it also “invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security.” He said neither party “got everything it wanted.”
The Senate voted to pass the bill 74-24. The House had passed it on March 22, leading to threats from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who was angry at Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for negotiating with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). While the House was voting, she introduced a measure to vacate the speaker. Later, she told reporters her motion was a warning to the speaker and a declaration that they needed someone new to lead the Republican caucus.
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