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US senators on Friday night gave the green light to a government funding package that keeps open several key departments that were at risk of closing over the weekend.
This is considered an important step toward finalizing the federal budget for 2024, after months of gridlock in the deeply divided Congress.
The $460 billion package received bipartisan support, although there were objections from dozens of Republicans who have not accepted the spending cut deal. A Democratic lawmaker also voted against the deal.
Congress had five months ago to pass 12 annual bills that make up the federal budget, and without Friday's vote, several government departments and agencies would have been shut down over the weekend.
But the Senate avoided a shutdown by reaching an agreement on the first six bills, allowing departments or agencies dealing with agriculture, commerce, justice, science, the environment, housing and transportation to operate until the end of the fiscal year, on September 30.
Some of the biggest objections - dealing with defense, labor, health and national security funding bills - are contained in the second package, which must be sent to US President Joe Biden by March 22. .
A partial shutdown over the weekend would have threatened a number of government functions, including food inspections, veterans benefits or scientific research.
The leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, through a statement given before the approval of the bill, said that the legislation is "a big step" towards the full funding of the Government.
The first funding package moved relatively easily through the House of Representatives on Wednesday, although some right-wing Republicans expressed disappointment after arguing that the legislation did not address some policies that are a priority for their party.
The deal adds $1 billion more to the federal food program for low-income mothers, a funding priority for Democrats. The funding package approved by the senators also increased rental assistance and increased spending for veterans.
Meanwhile, there is also a 10 percent cut in funding to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. /REL
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