House Of Representatives Signs Bill To Avoid Another Government Shutdown

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a temporary measure to fund the federal government and avoid another shutdown in less than a year.

What Happened

The House voted 231-192 in favor of the bill, with a majority of Republican Representatives voting against the motion, Reuters said.

The temporary continuing resolution bill that passed earlier in September is set to expire on Thursday.

"With a government shutdown deadline just days away, this continuing resolution is necessary to keep the government open as we work towards completing the appropriations process," Nita Lowey, the Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee said at the time of introducing the bill on Monday, according to the NPR.

The temporary resolution is needed because the Democratic majority of Congress and President Trump fail to come to an agreement on a permanent appropriations bill.

The disagreement is mainly over Trump’s demand for funding to build a border wall with Mexico, one of his key electoral promises.

The conflict earlier caused the most significant government shutdown in the U.S. history between December 2018 and January this year, as reported by the New York Times.

What’s Next 

The new resolution will extend the funding deadline to December 20, but still needs to be passed in the Senate and signed by President Trump before it comes into effect, Reuters reported.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer believes Trump could refuse to sign the bill because of the ongoing impeachment inquiry against him in the House.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Trump administration has already signaled support for the bill and is likely to sign it before the deadline, as reported by Reuters.