Congress averts shutdown

By Tony Bertuca / December 3, 2021 at 12:15 AM

Congress voted Thursday night to fund the federal government through Feb. 18 using a stopgap continuing resolution that averts a government shutdown.

The House passed the CR 221-212, while the Senate voted 69-28.

The federal government had already been operating on a CR which began Oct. 1.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) warned lawmakers that Congress continues to inch closer toward a full-year CR that would reduce defense spending by $37 billion below the level being proposed by the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

“Every week it seems, I receive letters from advocacy groups and industry associations, detailing the problems that would come from a full-year CR and asking that we do our job and enact full-year bills, including the National Defense Industrial Association, the Aerospace Industries Association, and numerous veterans groups,” he said on the Senate floor.

Meanwhile, the Senate left town for the weekend unable to advance the annual defense authorization bill, which has become stalled due to partisan disagreements.

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