President Biden signed a $1.2 trillion spending package on Saturday, averting a government shutdown that loomed as the clock ticked towards midnight on Friday. The legislation, which passed through a series of rushed congressional votes with bipartisan support, landed on the president’s desk just after 2 a.m.
The 1,012-page legislative package combined the remaining six of 12 annual spending bills to fund key parts of the government through September, the end of the fiscal year. It was the result of months of negotiations and four stopgap measures passed by Congress.
In a statement, President Biden called the approval of the spending deal “good news for the American people,” but acknowledged that it was a compromise where “neither side got everything it wanted.” The package includes funding for child care, cancer research, mental health and substance use care, as well as resources to secure the border.
While the bill drew bipartisan support, hard-right Republicans in the House opposed it. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene even called for a vote to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. Ultimately, the bill passed with a 286-to-134 vote in the House and a 74-to-24 vote in the Senate.
Both Democrats and Republicans highlighted victories in the final legislation. Republicans celebrated funding for Border Patrol agents and cutting aid to a UN agency that assists Palestinians, while Democrats secured funding increases for child care, education programs, and research on diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s.
President Biden also mentioned that two important pieces of legislation were still pending in Congress: an agreement on border security and a foreign aid package for Israel and Ukraine. The Senate approved the foreign aid measure in a bipartisan vote last month, but it faces opposition from Republicans in the House.
