The US Senate passed early Saturday morning pivotal legislation to fund the government through March 14 and avoid a government shutdown, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden's desk to sign it into law.
The bill saw widespread support in the chamber for the American Relief Act of 2025, mirroring an earlier vote in the House of Representatives that also enjoyed bipartisan support.
"Tonight, the Senate delivers more good news for America. There will be no government shutdown right before Christmas," outgoing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor. "This is a good bill. It will keep the government open and fund and help Americans affected by hurricanes and natural disasters, help our farmers and avoid harmful cuts."
The bill includes $10 billion for American farmers and $100 billion for disaster relief for storm-ravaged states. It comes after President-elect Donald Trump and his top lieutenants, including billionaire Elon Musk, tanked a compromise agreement that was set to pass the House earlier this week with bipartisan support.
That bill included several provisions that were ultimately stripped from the version that passed late Friday, including funding for pediatric cancer research, pay raises for members of Congress, a crackdown on "junk fees" charged by ticket sellers and hotels, and restrictions on US investment in China.
The funding for children's cancer research was separately passed in a last-minute maneuver by Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine.
The White House said Biden will sign the paired-down spending bill on Saturday, and said federal agencies will not shut down because "obligations of federal funds are incurred and tracked on a daily basis."
The bill that cleared Congress ultimately forewent a demand from Trump to lift the debt ceiling -- the amount of money the federal government is allowed to borrow. That provision caused dozens of Republicans to break ranks Thursday when a Trump-backed bill failed in spectacular fashion, sending House Speaker Mike Johnson scrambling to come up with the plan C that was passed Friday.
