Congress averts shutdown with hours to spare, sending funding bill to Biden’s desk

The House passed legislation to keep the government running until Dec. 16, a final act of business before both chambers of Congress recess for six weeks until the midterm election.

The Friday vote was 230-201, with 10 Republicans joining Democrats to pass it.

The bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 72-25 on Thursday, now goes to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it before the midnight deadline to avert a shutdown.

The stopgap measure gives congressional leaders additional time to negotiate a full-year funding deal, along with a host of other priorities they intend to tackle in the lame-duck session. That includes a defense authorization bill and a package of changes to election laws designed to prevent another Jan. 6-style attempt to overturn a presidential election.

The bill includes $12 billion in assistance to Ukraine, money for Afghan refugees, enhanced security for U.S. courts and a five-year reauthorization of user fees for the Food and Drug Administration.

House Republican leaders pressured their members to vote against the legislation, indicating a split between House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who supported the measure. It is a sign that must-pass funding measures could get contentious if Republicans capture the House this fall.

The Senate’s top two appropriators — Committee Chair Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Richard Shelby, R-Ala. — are retiring at the end of the year and want to go out with a larger funding deal, rather than punt the issue into the new year.