With a 74-24 vote, Congress keeps the government funded until September, despite disputes over military aid for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel.

On Saturday, March 23, 2024, the US Congress passed a US$1.2 trillion budget bill, successfully preventing a partial government shutdown. The bill, which was approved by a 74-24 vote in the Democratic-majority Senate, ensures that key federal agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, State, and Treasury, will remain funded through September 30. The bill has now been sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

Despite the success in averting a shutdown, the bill does not include funding for military aid to Ukraine, Taiwan, or Israel, which is part of a separate Senate-passed bill. This exclusion has become a point of contention, particularly with the Republican-led House of Representatives, which has ignored the military aid provisions in the Senate’s version of the bill.

The passage of the bill came after lengthy negotiations in the Senate, where several proposed amendments were debated and ultimately defeated. The delay in finalizing the bill pushed its passage beyond the Friday midnight deadline, but the White House Office of Management and Budget expressed confidence that the bill would be passed promptly, which it was.

With the government now funded until the end of the fiscal year in September, officials have reassured the public that government services will continue uninterrupted, even as partisan disagreements persist over military funding.