The sun sets at the the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021, with the deadline to fund the government approaching. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
SRDTF News
UPDATED 5:33 PM PT – Thursday, December 2, 2021
The House has passed a bill to extend government funding through Feb. 18.
The measure passed on Thursday and is now headed to the Senate where it faces a partisan battle. Some Senate Republicans have indicated they will push for a shutdown in an effort to fight Joe Biden’s OSHA vaccine mandate. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters he’s hoping the bill will pass through the upper chamber by Thursday night.
U.S. House PASSES CR funding government through February 18, 2022, 221-212.
Goes now to the U.S. Senate.
Current spending authority expires Friday at Midnight ET. pic.twitter.com/HGANxhoOCF
— CSPAN (@cspan) December 2, 2021
In the meantime, Biden said he doesn’t believe a government shutdown will happen this weekend.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Biden suggested there wouldn’t be a federal shutdown unless somebody decides to do something erratic. This comes after lawmakers in the House agreed on a bill that would fund government agencies until Feb. 18.
While Biden seems confident a shutdown won’t happen, again, a few Republican senators have threatened to not support the measure unless they are able to vote on defunding COVID-19 vaccine mandates on businesses.
Lawmakers in the Senate have a deadline of midnight on Friday to take action.