Highlights of how Congress avoided a government shutdown:
- The Senate passed a continuing resolution, or CR, that will fund the government through early next year. The vote came late Wednesday, just a day after it passed the House.
- Congress had until 12:01 a.m. Saturday to fund the government or force a painful shutdown. The bill now heads to President Joe Biden's desk for him to sign before the deadline.
- Members of both parties supported the CR, devised by new House Speaker Mike Johnson, which extends federal funding at current spending levels without major cuts that conservatives had demanded.
- The bill is a little unusual in that it splits government funding into two groups: Some departments will be funded through Jan. 19, while others will be funded through Feb. 2. That means Congress will have to address two more government shutdown deadlines in early 2024.
Schumer: This was a good outcome; there's more to do on Israel and Ukraine
After the CR passed tonight, Schumer told reporters he was glad to see that Speaker Johnson opted for bipartisanship to keep the government open. He also said the Senate will “immediately” begin working on the national security supplemental to provide aid for Israel and Ukraine when it returns from the Thanksgiving recess.
"Keeping the government is a good outcome, of course, but we have a lot more work to do after Thanksgiving," he said.
“I know both sides genuinely care about approving aid to Israel and Ukraine and helping innocent civilians in Gaza. So I hope we can come to an agreement even if neither side gets everything they insist on,” he continued.
Schumer stressed that it needs to be bipartisan, and he said he hopes getting aid to Israel, Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific is not contingent on border security. He added that border talks are “certainly not over" and that he spoke this evening with senators involved in the negotiations who said talks are progressing.
Schumer to speak soon
Schumer will hold a news conference shortly.
One Democrat, 10 Republicans voted no
One Democrat opposed the CR tonight: Michael Bennet of Colorado.
Ten Republicans voted no: Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Jim Risch of Idaho, Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Rick Scott of Florida, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and JD Vance of Ohio.
CR passes; Congress will avoid a government shutdown
The Senate just passed a stopgap funding bill, punting the GOP’s spending fight and the threat of a government shutdown until after the holidays. The vote was 87-11.
The bill now heads to Biden for his signature.
The Senate is voting now on the CR to avoid a government shutdown
The Paul amendment failed, as expected.
The Senate is now voting on the CR. It will need 60 votes to pass.
The Senate is voting on Sen. Paul's amendment; CR is up next
After an hourslong delay, the Senate is voting on an amendment from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., that is essentially its own short-term government funding bill, but with spending cuts.
The CR that passed that House yesterday is "clean," meaning it doesn't have any cuts — it would just fund the government at its current spending levels without any other policy riders.
Majority Leader Schumer announced on the floor that they came to an agreement with Sen. Wicker that allowed them to vote on the stopgap spending bill tonight. The vote to pass the CR is up next.
The Senate will vote soon
The Senate has a deal to vote on the CR tonight, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on the floor.
First, it will vote on an amendment from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., then the CR.
Senate may still vote tonight as deal over Sen. Wicker's hold nears
Wicker said moments ago that he’s “close” to reaching a resolution to end his hold on the CR. Wicker was on his way to meet with Senate leadership, including majority and minority leaders Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, and told NBC News he feels “hopeful.”
Wicker is asking for an assurance that the National Defense Authorization Act will go to a conference committee to work out differences between the House and the Senate, a source familiar with his request said.
The Senate continues to be in limbo, and it’s unclear whether it will vote on the CR tonight or push it to tomorrow morning. Senators NBC News spoke to this evening haven’t been able to provide much clarity about timing but have all been confident that the CR will pass before Friday.
Jeffries: Democrats 'could live with' this CR
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that ultimately House Democrats "could live with" the Republican CR they voted to pass yesterday.
“It’s a bifurcation, but it’s a bifurcation that is certainly something we could live with. Given the fact that ... every red line that we articulated was not crossed,” said Jeffries, D-N.Y.
He said that his relationship with new Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is open, honest and communicative and that the approach will continue to be: “Let’s agree to disagree without being disagreeable.”
Jeffries also reiterated the urgency to provide aid to Israel, as well as to the Ukrainian people. The aid issue is expected to come up after Thanksgiving.
The Senate has hit a snag
The Senate still hasn't officially announced that it's voting on the CR soon. The vote may be delayed because, according to two sources familiar with the matter, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., has a hold on the bill.
Wicker, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, has placed a hold because he wants Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to commit to a date to vote on the National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate was already planning to hold a procedural vote on the NDAA later tonight, but Wicker wants an agreement on a date for final passage.
This could be resolved quickly, or it could take more time, but the hope remains that senators will vote tonight on final passage of the CR.
