Shafaq News/ The U.S. House of Representatives has voted 335-91 in favor of a short-term funding bill, a continuing resolution, to prevent a government shutdown. The bill, which extends funding for another 45 days, now awaits approval in the Senate before President Joe Biden can sign it into law.

The urgency to pass the bill arose after Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy failed to secure a deal with hardline Republicans on discretionary spending, a crucial requirement for the new U.S. financial year beginning on 1 October. Facing a midnight deadline, McCarthy abandoned demands for significant spending cuts and, in a bold move, relied on Democratic support to move the legislation forward.

Under the new plan, federal disaster aid would be increased by $16 billion. Still, it does not include assistance to Ukraine, a priority for the White House but opposed by many Republican representatives. Despite initial objections from Democrats about the lack of Ukraine aid and insufficient time to review the 71-page bill, the majority ultimately agreed to the proposed deal.

If passed by the Senate, the bill will fund the government at the current 2023 levels until 17 November. The Senate had been working on its own bipartisan bill similar to the one the House of Representatives proposed, with additional allocations of $6 billion for Ukraine's fight against Russia and $6 billion for U.S. disaster relief.

The compromise reflects a pivot from McCarthy's earlier plans, which included spending cuts of up to 30% for most government agencies. The White House and Democrats rejected these proposals as too extreme, leading to the revised bipartisan agreement to avert a government shutdown.