President Joe Biden signed a stopgap spending bill into law on Thursday night. That averted a shutdown for now. The federal government would have shut down at the end of the day Friday without Biden’s signature.
The bill sets up a contentious fight over funding in the new year. The measure is an unusual two-step plan that sets up two new shutdown deadlines in January and February, according to CNN.
The plan is not a full-year spending bill and only extends funding until January 19 for priorities including military construction, veterans’ affairs, transportation, housing and the Energy Department. The FCC, NTIA, FTC and other Commerce Department agencies, the Department of Defense and many nondefense social programs are kept at FY 2023 levels through February 2, notes Communications Daily.
“It’s an important step but we have more to do,” said Biden of the measure. “I urge Congress to address our national security and domestic needs — and to stop wasting time on extreme bills and honor our bipartisan budget agreement,” Biden wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, according to The Hill.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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