The U.S. House of Representatives voted Friday to pass a budget bill that would fund the government for the first months of the new year.
The bill passed in the House Friday by a largely bipartisan vote of 366-34, with Rep. Jasmine Crockett voting present. All Democrats in the House but Rep. Crockett voted to pass the bill. All nay votes were by Republican representatives.
The bill now goes to the Senate for approval and, if approved there, to President Joe Biden's desk for signature.
The bill had been slightly altered from the one that failed on Thursday. The latest bill will not have a provision for a debt limit extension until January 30, 2027. That was a provision backed by President-elect Donald Trump.
Instead, the bill would fund the government through mid-March at current levels and provide millions of dollars for disaster relief to help communities impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. It would also provide millions for farmers who have been impacted by droughts, wildfires and floods.
RELATED STORY | Is the NORAD Santa tracker safe from a government shutdown?
"We are excited about this outcome tonight," House Speaker Mike Johnson said after the vote. "We're grateful that everyone stood together to do the right thing. Having gotten this done now, as the last order of business for the year, we are set up for a big and important new start in January. We can't wait to get to that point. We encourage swift passage in the Senate now. They need to do their job as the House just did."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday he was confident the bill would pass in the Senate. he said the chamber intended to bring the bill to vote "as soon as possible," but did not give more details.
As the House vote went on Friday, the White House signaled it would support the updated bill.
"While it does not include everything we sought, it includes disaster relief that the President requested for the communities recovering from the storm, eliminates the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires, and would ensure that the government can continue to operate at full capacity," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a statement. "President Biden supports moving this legislation forward and ensuring that the vital services the government provides for hardworking Americans – from issuing Social Security checks to processing benefits for veterans -- can continue as well as to grant assistance for communities that were impacted by devastating hurricanes."
