US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, US, March 7, 2024.
Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters
President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a $460 billion spending bill into law, averting a partial government shutdown that would have taken effect this weekend.
This partial budget deal covers funding for six major areas of government, which include the Departments of Military and Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Energy.
On Friday evening, the Senate voted 75-22 to approve the package after the House passed it earlier this week.
The agreement represents a step forward in seeking to secure a permanent budget plan for the remainder of the fiscal year, which began on October 1. The other six appropriations bills that keep the rest of the government funded are scheduled to expire on March 22.
This is the fourth time this fiscal year that Congress has had to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government funded and avoid a shutdown.
Democrats are pushing for continued full funding of the Special Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children. They also received gains in rental assistance and pay for infrastructure employees such as air traffic controllers and railway inspectors.
Meanwhile, Republicans also viewed the first half of the funding package as a win as they declared victories on veterans' gun ownership and cuts to government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
– CNBC's Rebecca Picciotto contributed reporting.
