Congress extends federal budget, again, to avert government shutdown
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This agreement has been passed by the House of Representatives, and the Senate, and must move on to be signed into law by President Joe Biden before the deadline in 10 days.
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The US Capitol in Washington, at sunrise, on June 20, 2017 (AP)
An agreement has been reached by Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress on Wednesday to stretch out the federal budget by just a few days to fend off the threat of a government shutdown.
This move would postpone the shutdown threat from Friday until March 8, which would allow space to reach a bigger deal to fund the government.
A statement in response said, "We are in agreement that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our government," adding that "a short-term continuing resolution to fund agencies through March 8 and the 22 will be necessary, and voted on by the House and Senate this week."
This comes as the US has been in a pickle over adopting a finance bill for 2024 amid party divisions, and only small bills to extend the federal budget by a few days or months have been passed.
Biden and Republicans in Congress were engaged in talks to reach a middle ground. The aim is to secure the latter's approval for Biden's request for an additional $106 billion, in exchange for implementing a stricter immigration policy and enhancing border security with Mexico.
Read more: US government shutdown looms as bipartisan rifts grow, again
This agreement has been passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate and must move on to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
Last week, US Congressman Matt Rosendale issued a stark warning suggesting that Congress could resort to shutting down the federal government if the Biden administration fails to address concerns over border security.
In a video posted on social media platform X, Rosendale emphasized the urgent need for action, stating that the Biden administration's lack of action on border security necessitates drastic measures.
SHUT DOWN THE BORDER OR SHUT DOWN THE GOVERNMENT‼️ pic.twitter.com/ExBhaIlD2V
— Matt Rosendale (@RepRosendale) February 21, 2024
"The Biden administration is not going to do anything about securing our border … unless we use the power of the purse strings, which means we have to stop funding other portions of government. Am I prepared to do that? Absolutely," Rosendale said in the video.
