In a significant last-minute reversal, the House has voted 335 to 91 to approve a 45-day extension of federal funding. The fate of the bill in the Senate remains unclear, though the broad bipartisan support in the House puts pressure on senators to accept the stopgap and avoid a shutdown.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced the plan to vote on the bill after a morning meeting with House Republicans. McCarthy has refused for weeks to consider any spending bill that would require the support of Democrats. But, facing the potential for a politically and economically harmful shutdown, McCarthy reversed course, specifically calling on Democrats for help passing the bill.
“What I am asking, Republicans and Democrats alike, put your partisanship away, focus on the American public,” McCarthy told reporters before the vote.
The Senate had been scheduled to vote to advance its own bipartisan bill that funded the government at roughly the same time as the House. It’s not clear when or if that vote will occur as senators meet to discuss the next steps.
The House bill does not include aid for Ukraine
The House bill would extend authorization for the Federal Aviation Administration until the end of the year and includes $16 billion in emergency disaster assistance requested by the White House.
But it does not include any money for Ukraine. The White House, congressional Democrats and many Senate Republicans have insisted on including financial support for Ukraine, because current funding is set to run out at the beginning of October.
“We fully expect Speaker McCarthy — who has stated his support for aid to Ukraine —…
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