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- By Native News Online Staff
The U.S. Senate followed the lead of the House of Representatives on Thursday by passing a temporary extension of federal government funding. The legislation was sent to President Joe Biden for his signature that averts a government shutdown that was due to happend at midnight on March 2.
The Senate 77-13 vote for the short-term extenstion was for another week, through March 8, 2024 and other parts of federal spending until March 22.
"I'm happy to inform the American people there will be no government shutdown on Friday," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said. "Now let us finish the job of funding the government so we don't have to do this again."
Congressional leaders announced a deal to keep the government open Wednesday evening, saying they "are in agreement that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our government."
The longest-serving Native American in Congress, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK), Chickasaw, didn't favor the shutdown of the federal government.
"Congress has had the opportunity to shut down twice. On September 30, and again in November, and each time it opted for a Continuing Resolution," Cole said. "And there were substantial majorities in both parties that did that. So the majority of members in both parties simply don't want to shut down."
President Biden, in a statement, called the extension, "good news for the American people. But I want to be clear: this is a short-term fix — not a long-term solution.
"In the days ahead, Congress must do its job and pass full-year funding bills that deliver for the American people," Mr. Biden said. "And House Republicans must act on the bipartisan National Security Supplemental, which already passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and would pass the House if it was brought to a vote."
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