Biden signs short-term bill to keep government open

President Biden on Friday signed a short-term funding bill to keep the government open through next week as congressional negotiators haggle over the details of a longer-term spending deal.

Biden signed the bill upon returning to the White House from Delaware, where he’d given remarks about legislation to help veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits.

The Senate on Thursday night voted 71-19 to pass the continuing resolution (CR), sending it to Biden for approval after it passed the House the night before in a 224-201 vote.

The CR freezes funding levels through Dec. 23 to buy time for ongoing spending negotiations, preventing a shutdown that would have otherwise begun on Friday at midnight. 

Leaders on both sides of the aisle have been working to pass an omnibus spending package by the end of the month, with sights set on final passage by Christmas Eve.

But some in the GOP in particular have been reluctant to back a larger government spending deal before the party takes control of the House next month. Those lawmakers have argued the party should hold out until the GOP has more leverage over what is included in an omnibus package.

Former President Trump on Friday weighed in on Friday, urging Republicans to hold out until the new year to negotiate over a government spending bill and the debt ceiling.