The deadline to approve a spending plan was this Saturday night and in a surprise and unexpected measure, the proposal of the leader of the House of Representatives, the Republican of California Kevin McCarthy, received bipartisan support that seems to have prevented the federal government from having to suspend its non-essential functions.
With three hours to go before the midnight deadline, the Senate managed to pass legislation that will keep the government open until November 17.
The government shutdown was avoided: some keys
- Today was the last day for Congress to pass a spending plan for the federal government. The closure seemed imminent and would begin at 12:01 a.m. on October 1.
- At the last minute, a temporary plan was approved that will keep the government functioning for 45 days. It was sent to President Biden for his signature.
- The bill, sponsored by House Leader Kevin McCarthy, includes funding for natural disasters but does not include new aid for Ukraine.
- At least 4 million federal workers, including 2 trillion active military personnel, would have lost their paychecks. "It would be fatal because I live from my job," a federal employee told Noticias Telemundo on Friday.
