President Joe Biden signed a $460 billion spending legislation on Saturday, ensuring the continuity of operations across multiple federal departments. This legislative move came just after the Senate passed the package on Friday, with the deadline for funding looming at midnight. The package, which sailed through the Senate with a 75-22 vote and earlier through the House with a 339-85 majority, includes funding for military construction, water development, and the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Interior, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development.
This funding decision averted a potential government shutdown, as agencies were able to continue normal operations due to Congress’s timely passing of the appropriations. The package, dubbed the “minibus,” marks a significant bipartisan effort, initiated by funding talks earlier in the year and reflecting a spending caps deal agreed upon by key political figures last year. This deal, reaffirmed by Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, sets a $1.65 trillion spending top line and incorporates $69 billion in adjustments linked to a 2023 debt limit raise.
With the “minibus” now law, attention shifts to passing the remaining six appropriations bills by the March 22 deadline. These bills, expected to fund the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, and other areas, present a more challenging negotiation landscape. They are subject to contentious debates over policy riders, including restrictions on Pentagon reimbursements for abortion travel costs and attempts to eliminate the salary of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas following his impeachment by House Republicans.