President Joe Biden signed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s two-step continuing resolution Thursday, avoiding a potential government shutdown.
Johnson’s continuing resolution (CR) extends most of federal funding through Feb. 2 in addition to several other appropriations bills until Jan. 19. The CR passed the House of Representatives Tuesday in a 336-95 vote and the Senate Wednesday in an 87-11 vote before heading to Biden’s desk.
Biden signed the bill on the side of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit during a dinner at the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco, California.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) departs a House Republican Conference meeting on November 14, 2023 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. The House is working through a Continuing Resolution presented by Johnson to avoid a government shutdown on November 17. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
Johnson’s temporary spending bill comes with bipartisan support, though some Republicans did not support the package because it does not make any spending cuts. In the House, most of the votes against the package were Republicans, it received 209 Democratic votes.
The spending bill does not include any aid for Israel or Ukraine, a key ask from Biden and other Senate leadership. (RELATED: Biden Announces Request For Congress To Link Ukraine Funding With Israel)
.@SpeakerJohnson (R-LA) outlined his strategy for passing a two-step continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown this Friday. When asked if he was worried about retaining his post in light of conservative opposition, he responded: “I’m not concerned about it at all.” pic.twitter.com/z0yukppquO
— CSPAN (@cspan) November 14, 2023
“This two-step continuing resolution is a necessary bill to place House Republicans in the best position to fight for conservative victories,” Johnson said in an earlier statement. “The bill will stop the absurd holiday-season omnibus tradition of massive, loaded up spending bills introduced right before the Christmas recess. Separating out the CR from the supplemental funding debates places our conference in the best position to fight for fiscal responsibility, oversight over Ukraine aid, and meaningful policy changes at our Southern border.”