Biden Signs $460 Billion Spending Package, Averting Government Shutdown

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address during a joint meeting of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, on March 7, 2024. Win McNamee/Getty Images

President Joe Biden on March 9 signed a package of six government funding bills, narrowly averting a partial government shutdown, although a second tranche has yet to be finalized ahead of a looming March 22 deadline.

The president signed into law H.R. 4366, or the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024,” which provides $460 billion in appropriations for several federal departments and agencies, the White House said in a statement.

The 1,021-page package includes annual spending bills that fund some major departments of the federal government: Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs.

The package was backed by top Republicans and Democrats in both chambers, with the White House thanking them “for their leadership” in getting the measure to the president’s desk for a signature.

Senate Approval

The Senate passed the measure in a 75–22 vote late on March 8, following hours of debate. Democrats had pushed for a faster vote, while Republicans proposed several amendments to the funding package, all of which ultimately failed. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) praised the passage of the measure in a statement on the Senate floor.

“This is an outcome both parties can be proud of because we have found a way to put the needs of our country first,” he said.

“To folks who worry that divided government means nothing ever gets done, this bipartisan package says otherwise,” he added.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) praised the package in a statement that focused on its benefits to Kentucky residents.

“Today’s government funding legislation advances a host of priorities near and dear to the hearts of my fellow Kentuckians—from rural transportation to military readiness to stopping the flow of illegal drugs,” Mr. McConnell said.

While Democrats and Republicans both praised the measure, there’s more work ahead, since the six remaining appropriations measures face a March 22 deadline.

Mr. Schumer said that the March 8 agreement gives lawmakers “momentum and space” to work on finalizing the remaining bills over the next few weeks.

“Of course, it’s going to take both sides working together to keep that momentum alive,” he added.

Once all 12 bills are finalized, the total discretionary spending set by Congress is expected to come at roughly $1.65 trillion for the full fiscal year 2024.

Support and Opposition

The conservative House Freedom Caucus said on March 5 that it “opposes the $1.65 trillion omnibus spending bill,” which will “bust the bipartisan spending caps signed into law less than a year ago and is loaded with hundreds of pages of earmarks worth billions.”

The group urged Republicans to vote against both halves of the appropriations package, arguing that it “punts on nearly every single Republican policy priority” and surrenders leverage to Democrats by failing to “truly secure the southern border and end the purposeful, dangerous mass release of illegal aliens into the United States.”

Republicans have blamed the Biden administration for the record numbers of illegal immigrants that have flowed into the country since President Biden assumed office.

They have called for an end to the Biden administration’s controversial “catch-and-release” policy, while urging an expansion of expedited removals, renewal of border wall construction, and reinstatement of the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy.

By contrast, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement on March 3, ahead of the House vote on the package, that Republican negotiators managed to score some wins.

“House Republicans secured key conservative policy victories, rejected left-wing proposals, and imposed sharp cuts to agencies and programs critical to President Biden’s agenda,” he wrote.

“This legislation forbids the Department of Justice from targeting parents exercising their right to free speech before school boards, while it blocks the Biden Administration from stripping Second Amendment rights from veterans,” he continued.

“It imposes deep cuts to the EPA, ATF, and FBI, which under the Biden Administration have threatened our freedoms and our economy, while it fully funds veterans’ health care,” Mr. Johnson added.

The appropriations package slashes Environmental Protection Agency funding by 10 percent, FBI appropriations by 6 percent, and funds for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives by 7 percent.

It also includes policy provisions aimed at reining in agencies that Republicans say have been weaponized against conservatives.

The House approved the measure on March 6 in a 339–85 vote.

Samantha Flom contributed to this report.