Government Funding Bill Gains White House Support, Reducing Shutdown Risk Ahead of Elections
In a significant development, the Biden administration has thrown its weight behind the latest short-term government funding proposal, drastically decreasing the likelihood of a partial shutdown before the November 5 presidential election. The Office of Management and Budget released a statement commending the bill for providing Congress with additional time to finalize full-year funding bills later this year, which would cater to America’s national defense, veterans, seniors, children, and working families, while addressing pressing needs for the American people, including disaster-stricken communities.
Although the statement stops short of a full-fledged endorsement, it criticizes congressional Republicans for omitting supplementary funding for disaster relief, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Small Business Administration. The administration expressed deep disappointment over the blocked critical funding, which would lead to severe disruptions in government services, including the cessation of the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program later this fall.
The White House also warned that it would oppose any funding cuts to the Internal Revenue Service in the final appropriations legislation. The revised bill, introduced by House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday, would fund the government through December 20, rather than March 2025, and does not include the contentious SAVE Act, a voter ID bill.
President Joe Biden and many congressional Democrats had vehemently opposed plans to incorporate the SAVE Act into the government funding bill. However, it was Johnson’s own caucus members who defeated his initial funding measure, with 14 House Republicans voting against it on September 18. The new proposal appears to defy the wishes of former President Donald Trump, who publicly urged congressional Republicans to shut down the government if the SAVE Act was left out of the funding bill.
The revised bill includes $231 million for the Secret Service, whose funding and resources have been under scrutiny following two assassination attempts against Trump. Congress and the White House must pass the bill and sign it into law by midnight on September 30 to avoid a partial government shutdown, which would have occurred just over a month from Election Day. House Republican aides indicated that the funding proposal could reach the House floor for a vote as early as Wednesday.
The White House has called for swift passage of the bill in both chambers of Congress to prevent a costly, unnecessary government shutdown and ensure adequate time to pass full-year FY 2025 appropriations bills later this year.
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