Last week, Congress passed and President Biden signed a short-term funding law to keep the federal government operating through March 8. The measure passed both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had to rely on significant Democratic support to pass the bill after House conservatives opposed the funding proposal, criticizing it for a lack of spending cuts and border security policy. Two Democrats and 106 Republicans voted against the bill.
Under the new short-term spending measure, lawmakers agreed to extend funding for four of the 12 annual spending bills through March 1, including the funding for the Departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies. The bill also extends a February 2 deadline for the remaining government agencies — including the Departments of Defense and Labor, Education and Health and Human Services — to March 8.
Prospects for a long-term funding bill remain uncertain. Senate leaders had been negotiating over a number of items in the appropriations bill, including linking support for Ukraine to policy to address U.S. border security. The Senate appears to have been making progress on a bipartisan agreement to secure U.S. borders, but talks have been derailed by Presidential candidate Trump who has stated his opposition to a border agreement.