US: President Biden passes USD 1.2 trillion bill averting shutdown
Mar 23, 2024
Washington DC [US], March 24 : US President Joe Biden signed USD 1.2 trillion legislation into law on Saturday, averting the looming shutdown and completing the funding of federal agencies through the fiscal year, which ends September 30, CNN reported.
This comes after the bill was passed by the US House of Representatives on Friday and the Senate on Saturday.
The bill addresses a slate of critical government operations, including the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, State and the legislative branch.
Biden -- who had the bill delivered to him in Wilmington, Delaware, Saturday -- said in a statement that while the package is a "compromise," it is "good news for the American people."
"This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted," Biden said in the statement, adding that "it rejects extreme cuts from House Republicans" while investing in child care, cancer research and mental health, as reported by CNN.
President Biden also pointed out that the final package included "resources to secure the border that my Administration successfully fought to include."
He also said that the job of the US Congress is not finished, urging them to pass additional legislation.
Biden called on the House to "pass the bipartisan national security supplemental to advance our national security interests" and urged both chambers to pass the bipartisan border security bill his administration has negotiated, calling it "the toughest and fairest reforms in decades."
The signing of the legislation marks a major moment on Capitol Hill as it brings to a close an annual appropriations process that has dragged on far longer than is typical - an effort that has been punctuated by partisan policy disagreements and a historic change of leadership in the House after conservatives ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in an unprecedented vote last year, according to CNN.
This legislation is the second part of a two-tiered government funding process.
A separate six-bill funding package, which was signed into law earlier this month, included funding for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Food and Drug Administration, military construction and other federal programs.
