The House of Representatives passed a 45-day stopgap funding bill on a 335-91 vote Saturday, moving the measure to the Senate just hours shy of the impending government shutdown at midnight, according to a report from The Epoch Times.
This bill sustains the federal funding rate, with provisions for disaster relief and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding.
However, it does not accommodate additional funding for Ukraine, which both parties had varying degrees of support for.
US Rep. Dan Meuser, who represents Schuylkill County in Congress, voted in favor of today’s stopgap funding bill.
He took to Twitter to blast Democrats for their actions ahead of the vote, even though most eventually voted as he did.
“While Democrat extremists literally turned to anarchy today to try to force a government shutdown, I voted to ensure our brave military & border patrol continue receiving a paycheck,” Meuser wrote on X.
Meuser also blamed Democrats for resorting to extremes to delay votes today. That included Rep. Jamaal Bowman pulling a fire alarm in the Capitol Building.
Here’s a tweet purportedly showing Bowman pulling the alarm Saturday.
Interesting to note is Meuser’s sudden lack of additional support for funding the war in Ukraine.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries requested more time to scrutinize the 70-page continuing resolution. Despite the time crunch, 209 Democrats rallied to reach the two-thirds majority required to pass the bill under a suspended House rule.
The vote followed a rejected conservative funding proposal by Speaker Kevin McCarthy the previous day. McCarthy’s proposal saw opposition from 90 Republicans due to its border security enhancements and an 8% cut in non-defense discretionary spending.
While Speaker McCarthy acknowledged the bill wasn’t his preferred choice, he emphasized the necessity to keep the government running. He called for a united front among Republicans for more conservative legislation in the future.
On the Senate side, a draft of its own continuing resolution is in the works. This version extends the existing funding levels until November 17, with an extra allocation of $6.15 billion for the war effort in Ukraine and $5.99 billion for domestic disaster relief.
The newly passed stopgap funding bill, lacking spending cuts or border security measures, signifies a setback for McCarthy and the Republican conference. It also places McCarthy’s role as House Speaker under scrutiny, with a potential motion to vacate the chair if legislation passes with Democratic aid.
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