US government on track to narrowly avoid shutdown after Senate approves one-week spending bill
Bernie Sanders let one hostage go, then took another in his fight for more Covid-19 stimulus checks
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Senate voted to avert a government shutdown, sending Donald Trump a one-week spending bill to keep the federal lights on.
Senator Bernie Sanders, however, threatened a shutdown next week unless the chamber votes on giving Americans another round of coronavirus stimulus checks.
The president, once the White House receives the bill, has until midnight to sign it. The administration has not issued a formal veto threat, and Mr Trump has not mentioned it on Twitter.
Even if the government funding lapses for a few hours, most departments and agencies have unspent funds that would allow them to keep operating over the weekend. The White House’s budget and operations offices did not before the Senate’s unanimous consent vote instructed the entities to begin preparing for a shutdown.
Lawmakers resorted to a one-week spending bill in order to give time for talks about a government-wide appropriations bill and a Covid-19 relief package to continue. Most existing coronavirus assistance programs expire on 26 December.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said Congress may not get a Christmas break, noting lawmakers stayed in town five years ago during the “fiscal cliff” saga.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments