Congress avoids a shutdown with less than 48 hours until government runs out of money: Senate passes stopgap bill to keep cash flowing for two months - setting up another battle in January

The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded until early next year, averting a looming government shutdown that would have kicked in on Friday. 

The bill passed 87-11 just before midnight Wednesday and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised it as a 'great outcome for the American people.' Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado was the only Democrat who voted no, joining 10 Republicans.  

The House first passed the bill on Wednesday, handing new Speaker Mike Johnson a big win, and now heads to President Biden's desk where he is expected to sign it before funding runs out.

It was Johnson's first major test as speaker, and although right-wing Republicans voted against the plan which had the support of Democrats, they held off on ousting him from office in the same manner that eight moved to expel Kevin McCarthy last month. 

The so-called 'laddered' continuing resolution, or CR, does not include any spending cuts or any supplemental funding for Israel or Ukraine.

Funding for four non-controversial agencies and projects including military construction and veterans' affairs will be extended through January 19, just days after the Iowa caucuses signal the start of the 2024 presidential campaign season. Funding for eight others would run through February 2. 

'No drama, no delay, no government shutdown,' Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said prior to the vote.

The key reason for Democrats getting on board was that the CR remains set at fiscal year 2023 spending levels. 

McCarthy's successor, Speaker Mike Johnson, produced a stopgap funding bill that drew broad bipartisan support.

Republicans said they were eager to avoid the risk of a shutdown, which would have closed national parks and disrupted everything from scientific research to financial regulation.

It pushes the funding deadline past Christmas after Speaker Mike Johnson insisted he did not want the House to be 'jammed' before the holidays and forced to agree to a year-long spending plan worked up by the Senate.  

The nearly 50-member House Freedom Caucus came out against the bill before it was put on the floor, arguing it needs spending cuts. 

'While we remain committed to working with Speaker Johnson, we need bold change,' the caucus said in a statement. 

Conservative Republicans insist Congress must work through 12 single-subject appropriations bills to fund each agency of government rather than a CR or an omnibus that lumps funding for all agencies of Congress together.

The so-called 'laddered' approach is meant to force negotiations on individual appropriations bills. The House would have two months to work through the first four before their funding ran out and an extra two weeks beyond that to work through the last eight. 

But months into the process Republicans so far have passed five of 12 party-line appropriations bills and still have yet to conference those bills with the Democratic-led Senate.   

'So I think everybody can go home. We can come back reset, we're gonna get our plan together,' Johnson said before the vote. 

'We're gonna map out that plan to fight with those principles and we have some great plans and playbook already.'