The Senate yesterday passed a short-term funding bill that punts Friday’s government shutdown deadline through next week as negotiators race to patch together a larger government funding deal for fiscal 2023, The Hill reported. The Senate voted 71-19 to pass the continuing resolution (CR), sending the legislation to President Biden for approval after it passed the House the night before on a vote of 224-201. The bill freezes funding levels through Dec. 23 to buy time for ongoing spending negotiations, preventing a shutdown that would have otherwise begun on Friday at midnight. Leaders on both sides of the aisle have been working to pass an omnibus spending package by the end of the month, with sights set on final passage by Christmas Eve.
