House passes bill to avoid Government shutdown

The House of Representatives has passed a bill to prevent a government shutdown, with support from the majority of Republicans and Democrats. The new bill excludes a debt ceiling suspension, a measure heavily pushed by Donald Trump.

The House voted 366-34 to approve the bill, with 34 Republicans voting against it and one Democrat abstaining. This comes after two controversial bills failed to pass in recent days.

The first bill, a bipartisan effort spanning over 1,500 pages, failed to pass due to pressure from President-elect Donald Trump and his aides, notably Elon Musk.

Musk played a significant role in opposing the original bill, citing its numerous provisions. He posted over 150 times on his X account, including false claims about new aid for Ukraine, a 40% pay raise for Congress, and $3 billion in funding for a new stadium in Washington, according to The New York Times.

A second bill, pared down to 116 pages and including a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling, which Trump insisted on, also failed to pass the House on Thursday. The House voted 235-174 to reject it, with 38 Republicans joining nearly all Democrats in opposition.

The newly passed bill is reportedly very similar to the previous version but excludes the debt ceiling suspension Trump advocated for, according to CBS News. The bill includes approximately $100 billion in disaster relief, maintains support for farmers, and funds the government through mid-March 2025.

So far, Donald Trump has not commented on the passage of the new bill.