US House votes to postpone government shutdown

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives has voted to pass a budget deal to prevent the first US federal government shutdown since 2019.

The deal, which passed by a vote of 366 -34 just six hours before the midnight deadline, still must be approved by the Democratic-controlled Senate before it can be signed into law by President Joe Biden.

Earlier this week, lawmakers successfully negotiated a deal to fund government agencies — but it broke down after President-elect Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk called on Republicans to reject it.

The vote was the third attempt to get a deal through the House this week after a second funding measure — also backed by Trump — failed on Thursday.

The 118-page “American Relief Act, 2025” passed in the House on Friday removes a debt-ceiling provision that Trump had sought, a sticking point for Democrats and some Republican budget supporters, in an earlier draft bill. Was.

The deal also removes measures sought by Democrats in an earlier version of the bill, including the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009, federal money to rebuild a collapsed bridge in Baltimore, health care reform and funding for hotels and live events. Contains provisions aimed at preventing sights. From misleading advertising.

A total of 34 Republicans voted against the short-term funding bill, while all the Democrats present were in favor of it.

Trump has not yet commented on the vote. The deal was praised in a statement issued by the White House on behalf of Biden.

Before the vote, Democrats criticized Mr Musk’s involvement in the process, pointing out that he is an unelected billionaire.

Mr Musk, whom Trump has tasked with cutting government spending in his future administration, had lobbied heavily against the earlier bill.

During the floor debate, Republicans said they looked forward to a “new era” when Trump takes office and Republicans take control of both houses of Congress next month.

The tussle over the budget has left Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson facing criticism from members of his own party over his handling of the process.

“We’re grateful that everyone stood together to do the right thing and now that the last order of business for the year has been completed, we can look forward to a big deal in January,” Johnson told reporters after the vote on Friday. And ready for important new beginnings.” ,

He also said he had spoken frequently to both Mr Trump and Mr Musk during the negotiations.

Johnson’s comments came shortly after Mr Musk praised the Louisiana congressman’s work on the budget in a post on his owned social media platform X.

“The speaker did a good job here considering the circumstances,” he posted. “It changed from bills weighing pounds to bills weighing ounces.”

The dramatic budget fight served as a preview of the tense legislative battle that could play out next year, when Trump is in the White House.

Officials have warned that if a funding deal is not reached in time for the holiday season, millions of federal workers could be left without pay when the government shuts down.

There will be countless other ways the shutdown will affect Americans — including limiting aid to aid-dependent farmers and people recovering from natural disasters.

The last government shutdown occurred in 2019 during Trump’s first term when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives failed to reach agreement on a new spending bill.

That shutdown lasted 35 days, and was the longest in American history.