US President Joe Biden on Saturday signed into law a long-awaited funding bill passed by Congress, keeping federal agencies running through September and averting a damaging partial government shutdown.
“The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open, invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security,” Biden said in a statement.
Senators missed a midnight deadline to pass the $1.2 trillion package to keep the lights on in several key government agencies but voted in the early hours to pass a resolution that had already advanced from the House.
At the same time, Biden called on lawmakers to approve additional national and border security funding.
“Congress’s work isn’t finished. The House must pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests,” Biden’s statement said. “And Congress must pass the bipartisan border security agreement — the toughest and fairest reforms in decades.”
“It’s time to get this done.”
‘Our persistence has been worth it’
A day of high-stakes Capitol Hill drama began at midday Friday, when the House of Representatives passed a $1.2 trillion, six-bill package representing the largest and most contentious section of federal funding.
With cash running out at midnight for three-quarters of the government, including defense and homeland security, the Senate was thrust into a race against the clock to advance the legislation to Biden’s desk.
Budget negotiations looked close to breaking down, with both sides pushing to tweak the legislation to reflect their campaign messaging and priorities ahead of November’s presidential election when Biden faces former president Donald Trump.
Senators were preparing to adjourn with no deal on holding a vote, which would have prompted the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to begin scaling back operations in key federal agencies on Saturday morning.
But a deal came together just as the midnight deadline arrived, and the Senate voted to pass the resolution after 2:00 am local time (0600 GMT) in Washington.
“It wasn’t easy, but tonight our persistence has been worth it,” Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor after hours of tense negotiation.
“It is good for the American people that we have reached a bipartisan agreement to finish the job,” he added before the bill received final approval.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney said while the bill was “far from perfect, I voted for this appropriations bill because it provides critical funding for our military and for border security.”