Senate Passes Funding Package, Narrowly Avoiding Government Shutdown

On Friday, the Senate passed a $459 billion funding package, narrowly avoiding a partial government shutdown.

The Details: Votes were 75-22 in favor. The package includes six bills funding Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, the Departments of Justice and Commerce, Energy and Water Development, the Department of Interior, and Transportation and Housing. It now goes to President Biden’s desk for approval.

For Context: On Wednesday, the House approved the package 339-85. Next, lawmakers must ratify budgets for the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense before the March 22 shutdown deadline.

Dissenting Voices: Some opposed the bill. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), said, "The minibus spending bill has more than 6,600 projects that will cost taxpayers $12 billion. This clearly isn’t about funding the government, it’s about funding pet projects for politicians like Chuck Schumer." Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), said, "Buried in the appropriations bill being voted on this week is a terrible new gun policy rider that significantly rolls back the firearms background check system. You need to know about this – it’s bad enough that I will vote against the entire bill."

How The Media Covered It: Sources across the spectrum noted that several Republicans opposed the bill because they felt it did not do enough to address the current immigration crisis. CBS News (Lean Left bias) wrote that “Republicans' demands for amendment votes… slowed” the process. Fox News (Right bias) highlighted Sen. J.D. Vance’s (R-OH) claim that Republican opposition was a result of being denied votes on several amendments pertaining to immigration.