Washington, United States

To keep the government running, the US Congress on Friday (Dec 20) passed a stopgap bill, narrowly avoiding a looming shutdown. After weeks of tense negotiations that went down to the wire, the Congress passed the bill a few minutes after the midnight deadline had already expired. To do this, senators dropped normal procedure to fast-track the package to a vote, halting government shutdown preparations and saving Christmas for more than 800,000 workers at risk of being sent home without pay.

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Earlier the same day, the House of Representatives had passed the bill with just hours left before federal operations were set to grind to a halt. The measure was passed with rare bipartisan backing, managing to keep the lights on for a few more months.

US House pushes funding lifeline

Although Republicans control the House, their internal divisions forced them to rely on Democrats to avert a shutdown.

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The bill, which extends government funding through mid-March, passed with the help of almost all Democrats, even as 34 from the Republican Party voted against it.

Also read | US House rejects Trump-backed Republican funding bill, government shutdown looms

Senior Democrat Bennie Thompson framed the vote as a victory for unity, and said on X, "Today, Democrats stood firm in our commitment to collaboration, not division. The American people deserve a government that works for them." 

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What changed from Thursday's Trump-backed bill?

The bill, as per AFP news agency, includes $110 billion for disaster relief and agricultural aid but omits a contentious two-year suspension of the debt ceiling demanded by President-elect Donald Trump.   

Elon Musk, Trump's incoming "efficiency czar," meanwhile questioned the bill on X. He asked: "So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill?"  

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Also read | 'This is his problem,' Trump says let the US govt shutdown happen under Biden admin

Even with a shutdown looming, Trump, has not wavered in his stance, openly advocating for a shutdown if he does not get his way.

In a fiery post on Truth Social, he said, "If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration."

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(With inputs from agencies)