US Congress votes to end brief govt shutdown

Trump signs into law big budget deal boosting spending by nearly US$300 billion

The US Capitol dome at sunrise yesterday after an early morning House vote to halt the government shutdown and approve the budget package.
The US Capitol dome at sunrise yesterday after an early morning House vote to halt the government shutdown and approve the budget package. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Republican Senator Rand Paul delayed a vote on a budget deal in a floor speech on Thursday night, dragging the Senate proceedings past the deadline.
Republican Senator Rand Paul delayed a vote on a budget deal in a floor speech on Thursday night, dragging the Senate proceedings past the deadline. PHOTO: NYTIMES

WASHINGTON • The US House of Representatives joined the Senate early yesterday in approving a Bill to end an overnight federal shutdown, sparing Republicans further embarrassment and averting serious interruption of the government's business.

The stopgap funding and budget measure was approved by a 240-186 House vote. President Donald Trump said in a Tweet last night that he had signed into law the Bill, extending government funding until March 23.

The Bill, which includes a far-reaching agreement that increases spending limits for the next two years and raises the federal debt ceiling until March 2019, would break the cycle of government funding crises in time for what is set to be a bruising campaign for November's mid-term elections.

But it also stirred deep concerns over the same issue that caused so many House Republicans to oppose the Bill - deficit spending.

The budget Bill raises military and domestic spending by almost US$300 billion (S$399 billion) over the next two years. With no offsets in the form of other spending cuts or new tax revenues, that additional spending will be financed by borrowed money.

The shutdown, which started at midnight, was the second this year under the Republican-controlled Congress and Mr Trump.

Senate leaders had expected the carefully crafted, bipartisan stopgap funding and budget package to win swift passage before the expiration at midnight on Thursday of current funding authority.

But in an unexpected turn of events, the deadline was missed because Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul, objecting to deficit spending in the Bill, engaged in a nine-hour, on-again, off-again protest and floor speech that leaders could not stop.

Mr Paul's dissent dragged the Senate proceedings into the wee hours past the deadline, underscoring the persistent inability of Congress and Mr Trump to deal efficiently with Washington's most basic fiscal obligation of keeping the government open.

"Republican majorities in the House and Senate have turned the (budget) process into an embarrassing spectacle, running from one crisis directly into the next," said Democratic Representative Nita Lowey prior to the House vote.

After an all-night session of debating and voting, the Bill ending the shutdown finally won House passage only after Democrats provided enough votes to offset the opposition of 67 Republicans, a remarkable rebellion in the party's ranks.

Once known as the party of fiscal conservatism, the Republicans and Mr Trump are quickly expanding the nation's budget deficit and its US$20 trillion national debt.

Their sweeping tax overhaul Bill approved in December will add an estimated US$1.5 trillion to the debt over 10 years, an accumulation of past years of annual budget deficits.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and others in her party had opposed the Bill because Republican House leaders would not guarantee her a debate later on steps to protect about 700,000 "Dreamer" immigrants from deportation.

These young people were brought illegally to the country as children years ago, mostly from Mexico.

Mr Trump last September said he would end by March 5 former Democratic president Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme that protects the Dreamers from deportation. Mr Trump urged Congress to act before then.

Senate Republicans have pledged to hold a separate immigration debate this month.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 10, 2018, with the headline US Congress votes to end brief govt shutdown. Subscribe