President Joe Biden has signed a stopgap spending bill that will avert a destabilizing government shutdown into law.
The US Congress passed the legislation in the 11th hour following a scramble by lawmakers. The Senate, controlled by the Democrats, passed the bill by a 85-11 vote to continue government funding 38 minutes after it expired at midnight on Friday.
Federal funding was about to run out at midnight on Friday and the White House Office of Management and Budget warned government agencies to prepare for the worst before the vote took place.
The late-night vote in the Senate capped a frantic week that saw president-elect Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk defeat an initial bipartisan deal, throwing Congress into disarray.
The final version stripped out some provisions championed by the Democrats, who accused the Republicans of caving in to pressure from an unelected billionaire with no experience in government.
The package had earlier cleared the House of Representatives, controlled by the Republicans, with bipartisan support.
Washington Commanders release statement after land bill passed
As part of the spending bill the Senate passed a resolution to transfer the land including old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia, meaning that the Washington Commanders may now be able to move back to the nation’s capital.
The D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act passed by voice vote after more than a year of lobbying and support from Rep. James Comer, district Mayor Muriel Bowser, Commanders controlling owner Josh Harris and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Harris, the Washington Commanders managing partner Josh Harris issued a statement Saturday thanking lawmakers for coming “together on a bipartisan basis” to provide the opportunity for the team to consider “all potential future locations.”
Mike Bedigan21 December 2024 20:30
Trump appoint husband of judge he appointed to DOJ position
Donald Trump announced that the husband of a Florida judge that he appointed during his first term in office will be nominated for a position in the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“I am pleased to announce that Chad Mizelle will serve as Chief of Staff at the Department of Justice, where he will work with our wonderful Attorney General Nominee, Pam Bondi,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“During my First Term, Chad was General Counsel and Chief of Staff at the Department of Homeland Security, where he helped to secure our Border, and stop the flow of illegal drugs and aliens into our Country. Chad is a MAGA warrior, who will help bring accountability, integrity, and Justice back to the DOJ.
“Congratulations to Chad, his wife Kathryn, a GREAT Judge who I appointed, and their children!”
In 2020 Kathryn Kimball Mizelle was apointed by Trump as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. At the age of 33, she was the youngest person chosen by the President-elect for a lifetime judicial appointment.
Mike Bedigan21 December 2024 19:30
Biden hails the spending bill ‘compromise’ as ‘good news’
After signing the spending bill into law, Joe Biden hailed the legislation as “good news for the American people” ahead of the holiday season.
“The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open and delivers the urgently needed disaster relief that I requested for recovering communities as well as the funds needed to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” he said, in a statement shared by the White House.
“This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted. But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity.
“That’s good news for the American people, especially as families gather to celebrate this holiday season.”
Mike Bedigan21 December 2024 19:10
Senate Majority Leader Schumer celebrates after bill passed just in time
Mike Bedigan21 December 2024 18:40
Spending bill to provide economic support for farmers
The American Relief Act, 2025, signed by Joe Biden on Saturday provides “economic assistance to farmers; extends the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018; and extends several expiring authorities,” the White House said.
The bill includes $10 billion in economic aid for farmers, which was one of the key issues in the negotiations, driven by lawmakers from agriculture-focused states.
The Agriculture Improvement Act is a sweeping package that governs many agricultural and nutrition assistance programs. It is is usually renewed every five years, but the most recent version was passed in 2018 and the extension ran out at the end of September.
The spending bill extends the act for a year.
Mike Bedigan21 December 2024 18:10
Watch: House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke with Trump and Musk before shutdown vote
Mike Bedigan21 December 2024 17:40
Senate Republicans are not asking RFK Jr about his stance on vaccines
Mike Bedigan21 December 2024 17:10
Maryland bridge funding included in bill
The last-minute stopgap spending bill includes provision for the rebuilding of the Francis Key Scott bridge in Maryland, which collapsed in March after being struck by a cargo ship.
Under the bill, its replacement will be fully funded by the federal government. The legislation will also allow the US Treasury Department to recoup money from any settlements related to the bridge’s collapse to help pay for the rebuilding.
The Dali container ship crashed into the bridge in March, causing it to collapse and severing access to critical shipping routes in and out of the Port of Baltimore. Six workers on the bridge were killed in the incident.
The Maryland Transportation Authority earlier this year estimated that rebuilding the bridge could cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion.
Mike Bedigan21 December 2024 16:40
Biden signs spending bill averting a government shutdown
Joe Biden has signed the last-minute stopgap spending bill into law, according to the White House.
The Senate passed the bill not long after midnight averting a shutdown that would have had widespread impacts, following a last minute scramble in Congress. The House passed the bill Friday evening.
A statement from the White House read: “On Saturday, December 21, 2024, the President signed into law: H.R. 10545, the “American Relief Act, 2025”, which provides fiscal year 2025 appropriations to Federal agencies through March 14, 2025, for continuing projects and activities of the Federal Government; provides disaster relief appropriations and economic assistance to farmers; extends the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018; and extends several expiring authorities.”
Mike Bedigan21 December 2024 16:30