Bipartisan Senate Vote Prevents Shutdown, House Expected To Follow Suit

The Senate and House of Representatives are expected to prevent a government shutdown at the last minute through two short-term funding bills, halting a potential default on the national debt.

After the bills are passed, the federal government will continue to be funded through Dec. 3 when both houses will return to the issue.

Democratic leaders went into Thursday juggling the mammoth tasks of preventing a shutdown and reaching a final agreement for a pair of multitrillion-dollar infrastructure bills. Failure to keep the government open and a defeat of the infrastructure proposals would represent a devastating pair of setbacks for President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda.

Unlike earlier in the week when Republicans blocked a Democratic-led effort to raise the debt ceiling, the Senate voted 65-35 along bipartisan lines on Thursday’s funding bill. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., promised that the lower branch would follow suit before midnight.

“This is a good outcome, one I am happy we are getting done,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., before the vote.

House members were also set today to vote on the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that was similarly passed along bipartisan lines in August. Pelosi has for weeks been trying to corral moderate and progressive Democrats alike into supporting the legislation, meeting resistance from both sides.

Progressives condition their support for the bill on an assurance that a larger $3.5 trillion social spending bill comes to a vote in the Senate. Moderates, however, are opposed to elements of the bill because of provisions harmful to the fossil fuel sector, failure to remove a cap on state and local tax deductions, and the massive price tag.

The bill will not likely receive any support from Senate Republicans. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., derided it as a "pathway to socialism."

Democrats would have to pass the bill by means of the budget reconciliation process which would require every member voting Yes in order to succeed.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W Va., and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have opposed the bill because of its cost.

On Thursday, Manchin said that he would support the reconciliation process for the $3.5 trillion deal if it was pared down to $1.5 trillion, less than half the original size.