by Sharon Rondeau
(Mar. 23, 2024) — A contentious $1.2 trillion spending bill which passed the U.S. House of Representatives Friday morning in a 286-134 vote, spurring a resolution to impeach Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, passed the Senate by a 74-24 vote two hours after midnight, when funding technically expired for several large federal departments.
While the House had just over 24 hours to read and vote on the 1,012-page bill, the Senate had even less time to consider it with a looming deadline.
Both Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D) and Johnson (R) said the bill, a compromise for both sides, was a significant accomplishment given the current “divided government.”
A vote on final appropriations for fiscal year 2024, which began October 1, had been pushed back several times over the last six months. The latest bill fulfilled funding for all government agencies through September 30, 2024.
An appropriations bill funding different departments was passed and sent to Joe Biden for his signature on March 9 but left the Department of Homeland Security, Justice Department, State and Treasury Departments unfunded.
No amendments were added to the bill as some senators wished.
According to CNN, Schumer called on senators to cast their votes promptly because “Some people have very important places to go, and we want to get her there,” referring to Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), a negotiator of the bill whose mother passed away on Tuesday and for whom a funeral will be held Saturday in northern Maine.
Biden pledged to sign the bill “immediately,” Roll Call reported.