The United States avoids a government shutdown after the bill was passed in Congress

The US Senate voted to pass a budget deal to avoid what would be the first federal government shutdown since 2019, just hours after the House approved the same legislation.

The budget deal passed shortly after the midnight deadline by an overwhelming margin of 85-11.

The bill does not include a request from President-elect Donald Trump that lawmakers increase the amount of money the federal government can borrow, showing the limits of his ability to lead lawmakers from his party.

The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to sign into law.

The Senate voted shortly after 00:30 (05:30 GMT), with most Democrats and Republicans supporting the measure.

Without a funding deal, millions of federal employees would have ended up either on unpaid furlough or left without pay.

The shutdown would close or reduce operations of public services such as parks, food assistance programs and federally funded nurseries, as well as limit assistance to aid-dependent farmers and people recovering from natural disasters.

The last government shutdown was during Trump’s first term in 2019 and lasted 35 days, the longest in US history.

Earlier this week, lawmakers succeeded in negotiating a deal to fund government agencies, but it collapsed after Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk called on Republicans to reject it.

The 118-page American Relief Act of 2025 deletes a provision on the debt limit demanded by Trump, which was a sticking point for Democrats and some Republican budget hawks in an earlier bill.

The agreement also eliminates measures Democrats called for in the first version of the bill, including the first pay raise for lawmakers since 2009, federal money to rebuild the bridge that collapsed in Baltimore, health care reforms, and provisions aimed at banning hotels and live event venues. . From deceptive advertisements.

It includes $100 billion (£78 billion) in disaster relief funds to help recover from hurricanes and other natural disasters, and allocates $10 billion in aid to farmers.

Democrats in the House of Representatives criticized Musk’s involvement in the operation, noting that he is an unelected billionaire.

Musk, who was tasked by Trump with cutting government spending in his future administration, had lobbied hard against an earlier version of the bill.

During the debate, Republicans said they looked forward to a “new era” with Trump taking office on January 20 and Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress. Currently, the Senate remains under Democratic control.

The budget controversy left Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson bruised amid criticism from members of his party over his handling of the process.

“We are grateful that everyone stood together to do the right thing, and with this now accomplished as the last order of business for the year, we are ready for a big, important new beginning in January,” Johnson told reporters after Friday’s vote. .

He also said he spoke frequently with both Trump and Musk during the negotiations.

Johnson’s comments came shortly after Musk praised the Louisiana congressman’s work on the budget in a post on his social media platform X.

“The Speaker has done a good job here, given the circumstances,” he added. “It went from a pound note to an ounce note.”

The dramatic budget fight was a preview of the tense legislative battles that could be ahead.