Tipsheet

Senate Votes on Short-Term Funding Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  September 26, 2023 7:10 PM

On Tuesday night, the Senate voted 72-18 to advance a short-term funding bill so as to avoid a government shutdown which would begin on October 1, just days away. Such a bill puts the Senate on track to pass a continuing resolution (CR) later this week to send to the House, The Hill reported. 

"The Senate legislation will fund the federal government until Nov. 17, the week before Thanksgiving, and provide approximately $6.15 billion in funding for Ukraine and $5.99 billion in disaster assistance," the report also mentioned. "The legislation will also temporarily extend the expiring authority of the Federal Aviation Administration."

It's expected that spending bills will have a more difficult time passing in the Republican-controlled House, where House Freedom Caucus members have stressed the need for bills that secure the southern border. As CNN's Manu Raju posted shortly before the Senate vote, McCarthy is looking to get a border security package included. 

In addition to concerns that there is "Seemingly nothing on border," as posted by POLITICO's Caitlin Emma, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) raised concerns about members not having enough time to read the bill before voting. He voted against the bill, as he revealed over X. 

Lee has reason to be concerned. "Senate leaders kept the details of the legislation secret until shortly before Tuesday’s vote as lawmakers wrestled behind the scenes over adding money for Ukraine," The Hill noted. 

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"No CR" has been trending over X as users express their displeasure, including and especially as it pertains to funding for Ukraine. 

As Leah reported earlier on Tuesday, polling from Morning Consult shows that Americans would be more likely to blame Democrats in Congress (21 percent) and President Joe Biden (23 percent) combined, than the 34 percent who would blame Republicans in Congress. Nevertheless, the White House has been fierce in putting the onus on House Republicans. 

A statement from the White House referred to an "Extreme Republican Shutdown" and during Tuesday's press gaggle aboard Air Force One as well as Monday's press briefing, Jean-Pierre stuck to her narrative of a "Republican shutdown." In the process, though, she botched a quote from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) about who would be to blame, as the official White House transcript shows.

A headline from Newsweek earlier on Tuesday also warned that "Joe Biden's Polling Woes Could Get Even Worse As Shutdown Looms."