Washington – The Senate passed a package of three bills on Thursday to fund parts of the government, clearing the legislation before leaving Washington for a week-long recess before a deadline at the end of the month to avoid a partial shutdown.
The Senate approved the package by a vote of 82 to 15, sending it to President Trump’s desk.
It includes funding for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and Interior, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency.
When the Senate returns, it will have six bills left to cross the finish line before Jan. 30, when funding for parts of the government expires. the house I agreed to the package Contains two of those measures on Wednesday.
After voting on the House floor, the House passed eight of the 12 annual spending measures, leaving the most controversial ones to be resolved in the final days before the shutdown deadline. These measures cover the Ministries of Defence; communications; Housing and Urban Development; exhaustion; Health and Human Services; education; and internal security.
Funding for the Department of Homeland Security was expected to be included in the package that passed the House of Representatives this week, but those plans hit a snag after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer… Deadly shot Rene Judd in Minnesota. Democrats said they would not support the bill without accountability measures for the law enforcement agency.
“As we approach the Homeland Security funding appropriations process, Democrats in the House and Senate have called for changes in the way ICE manages itself,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, told reporters on Wednesday.
Lawmakers are still negotiating the bill, which could end up as standalone legislation, with remaining measures bundled together.