United States President, Joe Biden on Thursday night signed Congress’ stopgap funding bill to avert a shutdown and extend government funding through December 3.
Gatekeepers News reports that Government funding had been set to expire at midnight. The bill passed the House and Senate earlier in the day with a bipartisan vote.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer explained that in addition to funding the government until December 3, the stopgap bill will “provide funding to help process and resettle Afghan refugees and finally deliver on critical disaster aid for Americans battered by storms and wildfires this summer.”
In a statement on Thursday, the American President said the passage “meets critical and urgent needs of the nation, including disaster relief for both red and blue states hit hard by Hurricane Ida and other devastating natural disasters, and funding to help us resettle Afghan allies in the United States following the end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan,”
“This funding will also keep up our fight against COVID-19 and-on this International Recovery Day-it will continue our battle against the opioid crisis.”
“There’s so much more to do. But the passage of this bill reminds us that bipartisan work is possible and it gives us time to pass longer-term funding to keep our government running and delivering for the American people.”
Gatekeepers News reports that the measure that the U.S signed into law on Thursday does not include a provision suspending the debt ceiling.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen earlier this week warned that the federal government will likely run out of cash and extraordinary measures by October 18, saying the debt limit must be raised.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday accused Republicans of treating the debt ceiling “like a game.”
“Republicans are playing politics with an economic catastrophe and they’re treating a calamity for working families like a D.C. game,” Psaki said, noting that the administration would keep up the pressure on Republicans on the issue.
