The Senate Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to pass a short-term spending measure that will ensure no federal government closures, at least until it expires Dec. 11.
The temporary funding bill was passed on the last day of the fiscal year, in an easy 78-20 vote. But while a partial shutdown would happen on Thursday without the bill, it’s long been expected that this short-term fix would pass the House and the Senate Wednesday.
The bill keeps the federal budget operating mostly at fiscal 2015 levels. The House is expected to pass the Senate bill some time Wednesday afternoon, also with bipartisan support.
The legislation leaves intact funding for Planned Parenthood, angering some conservatives who remain eager to find a way to stop the organization from receiving taxpayer funding. The lack of any language in the bill to defund the abortion provider is likely going to prompt a few dozen Republicans to vote against it later today.
President Obama said he would sign the bill into law, all but guaranteeing there will be no threat of a shutdown when the current fiscal year ends Wednesday at midnight.
Lawmakers plan to begin negotiating a budget deal with President Obama and Democrats that would last beyond Dec. 11. If that deal can be worked out, it would also provide directions on how to fund the remainder of fiscal 2016.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he is aiming for a bipartisan accord that sets a top-line budget number for fiscal 2017 as well.
McConnell said he plans to start putting appropriations bills on the floor, now that the temporary spending bill has passed. But Democrats will likely block the legislation because they want an increase in domestic funding to match the increase Republicans are trying to give to the Defense Department.
“Democrats have blocked them all year as part of some arbitrary strategy to force our nation to the brink,” McConnell said of the spending bills. “They certainly succeeded in that. But I think the American people are ready for our colleagues to finally get serious and get back to work.”
Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called on Republicans to work with Democrats on the spending levels as well as on a plan to raise the nation’s debt limit, which is about to run out.
