A four-day partial government shutdown ended on Tuesday after the US House of Representatives saw a majority vote to pass a spending package and sent the legislation to the desk of President Donald Trump, who backed the bill, for immediate signature.
A unified GOP (Republican) conference, which championed the bill, and 21 crossover Democrats voted for the proposal while it was opposed by a majority of House Democrats and 21 Republicans. (Bloomberg file photo)One America News reported that the House secured 217,214 votes to pass the $1.2 trillion spending package.
A unified GOP (Republican) conference, which championed the bill, and 21 crossover Democrats voted for the proposal while it was opposed by a majority of House Democrats and 21 Republicans.
According to the OAN report, defectors who mainly belong to the House Freedom Caucus said the 10-day stopgap for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) surrendered important leverage to Democrats and failed to include the SAVE Act, which would have required proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Also Read | Welcome to the trade deadlockIt was 21 crossover Democrats who went against their own party’s leadership to restart government and effectively balance the GOP defections.
Speaker Mike Johnson needs near-unanimous support from his Republican convention to advance to a final vote. He narrowly got it during a procedural vote that lasted about an hour as leaders worked to gain support from some GOP lawmakers who were trying to tout other priorities unrelated to the funding measure.
“We have to work through the concerns of individual members. That’s the game here. It’s about building a consensus. We do it every day,” Johnson said.
What Trump said beforeTrump urged Republicans to remain united in a social media post on Monday and told holdouts “there can be no change at this time.”
“We will work together in good faith to resolve the issues that have been raised, but we cannot afford another long, pointless and destructive shutdown that will hurt our country so badly — one that will not benefit Republicans or Democrats. I hope everyone votes, YES!,” he added in the True Social post.
What does the bill include?Once signed, it will end the partial government shutdown that began Saturday. In addition to funding most of the federal government through Sept. 30, it also has a short-term funding patch for DHS through Feb. 13. Lawmakers are set to discuss possible changes to the nation’s immigration law enforcement agency — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.
(with AP input)
