November 19, 2023

President Biden Signs Budget Bill, Extends Government Funding Until Jan. 19

President Joe Biden officially signed the congressional budget continuing resolution, extending federal government funding until Jan. 19, as confirmed by the White House in a statement released Thursday evening while Biden attended the 2023 Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in California.

As per the White House, the resolution "provides fiscal year 2024 appropriations to Federal agencies through January 19, 2024, for continuing projects and activities funded in four appropriations bills." However, the CR extends funding for the remaining eight appropriations bills only until Feb. 2.

Notably absent from the funding allocations were key priorities for the Biden administration, including support for Israel, Ukraine, humanitarian aid, and U.S. border security.

The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed the budget bill with an 87-10 vote on Wednesday night. During the Senate discussions, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer directly addressed Speaker Mike Johnson, highlighting the need to navigate future threats of government shutdowns. Schumer emphasized, "If the speaker is willing to work with Democrats and resist the siren song of the hard right in the House, then we can avoid shutdowns in the future."

In the House, the budget bill passed with a 336-95 vote, drawing support from both Democratic and Republican representatives. Notably, Speaker Johnson relied on Democratic votes to avert a government shutdown, facing opposition from the House Freedom Caucus composed of far-right Republicans who opposed the budget continuing resolution.

Within the Democratic camp, 209 members voted in favor of keeping the government operational, with the backing of 127 Republicans. However, 93 Republicans voted against the resolution, joined by two Democrats-Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts and Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois.

House Republicans indicated their intent to pursue spending cuts once the current budget CR expires. In a separate appropriations bill debate this week, Rep. Robert Aderholt outlined Republican proposals, detailing cuts of $60 billion from over 50 programs, with the elimination of an additional 60 programs. These reductions include an 80% slash in Title I public education grants.

Reacting to these proposals, Rep. Rosa DeLauro condemned the bill as "inhumane," expressing her shock at its severity.

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