Joe Biden has signed the Continuing Resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown. Speaker Michael Johnson´s stopgap spending bill - which the House of Representatives and the Senate had previously approved - was enacted by the president at a dinner at the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco, an event attended by several leaders on the occasion of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit ( APEC).
Last night I signed a bill to prevent a government shutdown. It is an important step, but we have more to do. I urge Congress to address our national security and domestic needs, and House Republicans to stop wasting time on extreme bills and deliver on our bipartisan budget agreement.
Last night I signed a bill preventing a government shutdown. It’s an important step but we have more to do. I urge Congress to address our national security and domestic needs — and House Republicans to stop wasting time on extreme bills and honor our bipartisan budget agreement. pic.twitter.com/6Ja5jW4YPR
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 17, 2023
The Senate (with 87 votes in favor and 11 against) passed the Continuing Resolution without any trouble. With only 10 Republican legislators and one Democrat voting against, Chuck Schumer highlighted the "bipartisan cooperation" that made it possible to carry out a rule similar to the one that cost Kevin McCarthy his Presidency of Congress. In fact, moving forward with the initiative and with the support of the Blue Party congressmen, cost Johnson the members of the Freedom Caucus to knock down an additional spending bill that will have to be taken up after the Thanksgiving break.
Schumer praises Johnson
Schumer stressed to the media that the legislative day left "a very, very good night for the American people." The leader of the Democratic majority in the Upper House also highlighted the help between the two major parties to prevent the Executive from running out of funding and praised Speaker Johnson for resisting pressure from his fellow bench members and leaning on his parliamentary rivals.
Obviously, the Republican-led House needed Democratic votes to avoid a shutdown, and I was glad to see that the Speaker was willing to work with Democrats and resisted the siren calls of the hard right in the House. And if that continues, we can avoid more shutdowns and finish the job of funding the Government.
HAPPENING NOW: @SenSchumer is speaking with the press following the Senate's bipartisan passage of legislation to avoid devastating cuts for American families, avert a pointless shutdown, and pass an extension of government funding until the new year: https://t.co/GJEPTAvVx6
— Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) November 16, 2023
