The US House of Representatives votes to pass final bill to keep government open

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The US House of Representatives passed a stopgap funding measure with hours to spare on Friday, clearing the way for Congress to avert a government shutdown after days of fighting on Capitol Hill.

The bill passed by the House does not include any changes to the debt ceiling, despite Donald Trump’s calls to eliminate or strengthen the mechanism.

But the measure received bipartisan support in the chamber, with Democrats joining Republicans to pass the bill 366-34 just after 6pm in Washington – six hours before the deadline.

According to the White House press secretary, the Democratic-controlled Senate must now vote on the legislation before it goes to the desk of President Joe Biden, who will support the legislation.

The bill’s enactment would end a tumultuous week in Washington because Trump and his ally, Elon Musk, have increased their influence over hard-line Republicans, leading them to reject what they see as “gifts” to the Democratic Party.

Before the bill was passed on Friday, musk expressed continued disdain for the bill: “So is this the Republican bill or the Democratic bill?”

The measure was passed by the Speaker of the House by Mike Johnson third attempt to get a deal through the chamber after Trump destroyed the first bipartisan agreement earlier in the week.

The new bill is nearly identical to Johnson’s second bill, but eliminates any move to increase or suspend the debt ceiling, despite Trump’s demands. It expands government funding at current levels and provides aid for disaster relief and farmers.

Johnson said after the bill passed he was in “regular contact” with Trump and spoke with Musk just before the vote and received their blessing.

Trump “knows exactly what we are doing and why, and this is a good outcome for the country. I think he’s certainly pleased with the result as well,” he told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Johnson said he asked Musk: “’Hey, do you want to be Speaker of the House?’ . . . He said, ‘this could be the hardest job in the world’. That’s right.”

The passage in the House of Commons marked a victory for Johnson, who had previously declared that the US would “not let the government shut down”.

ONE shutdown will temporarily close government departments and suspend pay for federal employees. Previous government shutdowns have forced hundreds of thousands of federal employees to temporarily lay off their jobs.

Democrats also declared victory, with House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries saying his party had “prevented radical Maga Republicans from shutting down the government”.

“House Democrats successfully stopped the billionaire boys club, which wanted a $4 trillion blank check by suspending the debt ceiling,” he added.

Trump’s looming presence in the debate was the most complicating factor in the frantic negotiations aimed at finding a last-minute deal.

But as soon as voting began, Musk changed his tune, saying Johnson “did a very good job here, given the circumstances. It went from a heavy bill to a bill weighing ounces. Now the ball is in the Democrats’ court.”

Democrats, angry that the previous bipartisan deal was scrapped, blamed Musk for getting involved in the process himself this week, causing more unrest in Congress right away. ahead of the US holiday.

“At the behest of the world’s richest man without anyone voting, the United States Congress has descended into chaos,” Democrat Rosa DeLauro said of Musk on Thursday.

Some leading Republicans also appeared critical of Trump and Musk’s intervention.

“I don’t care how many times I remind you. . . Our House partners say how harmful a government shutdown would be, and how foolish it would be to bet that your side won’t be responsible for it,” said Mitch McConnell, leader of the House of Representatives. The outgoing Senate Republican, said Friday.

“That said, if I took it personally every time my advice wasn’t heeded, I probably wouldn’t have taken the time to do this particular job.”