WASHINGTON: The U.S. Senate has passed bills to finance the work of the federal government until the end of the fiscal year, ending on Sep...
WASHINGTON: The U.S. Senate has passed bills to finance the work of the federal government until the end of the fiscal year, ending on September 30, according to the C-SPAN TV channel that broadcast the vote.
The bills were approved with 71 votes for and 29 against. Earlier, the lawmakers agreed to support the drafts provided that the bill to finance the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is excluded.
Despite the approval, partial suspension of the federal government will take place at midnight on January 31 (5 a.m. GMT) because the bills approved by the Senate will also have to be approved by the House of Representatives, which will begin work only on Monday. After approval in the lower house, the documents will be submitted to President Donald Trump for signature.
The Democratic Party previously called for a revision of the bill on DHS financing after a border guard officer shot a man dead in Minneapolis (Minnesota). The DHS funding will be extended in the current amount for two weeks, while negotiations are underway on the reform of the ICE immigration service.
On November 12, Trump signed a law to continue funding the federal government until January 30 overcoming a record 43-day shutdown. The shutdown began at midnight on October 1 because the ruling Republican and opposition Democratic parties in Congress could not agree on several expenditure items, including in the health sector. They accused each other of provoking the shutdown and prolonging it for political purposes.
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