Biden signs bill to fund government into 2024, averting shutdown

President Biden signed a funding bill late Thursday to avert a shutdown and keep the government open into early 2024.

The president signed the measure while in San Francisco, where he is meeting with world leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. The government would have shut down at the end of the day Friday without Biden’s signature.

“Last night I signed a bill preventing a government shutdown. It’s an important step but we have more to do. I urge Congress to address our national security and domestic needs — and House Republicans to stop wasting time on extreme bills and honor our bipartisan budget agreement,” Biden wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The House passed a stopgap bill Tuesday to prevent a government shutdown in a 336-95 vote. Two Democrats — Reps. Jake Auchincloss (Mass.) and Mike Quigley (Ill.) — and 93 Republicans opposed the bill.

The Senate passed the measure a day later in a bipartisan vote of 87-11, with Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo.) the lone Democrat voting in opposition.

The bifurcated bill would extend funding at current levels for some agencies and programs until Jan. 19, and all others through Feb. 2. It marked the first legislative hurdle Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) cleared since winning the gavel, even as he relied largely on Democratic votes to do so.

The bill funds military construction, the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and energy and water programs until Jan. 19.  

It funds all other programs, including the Department of Defense and many nondefense social programs, until Feb. 2. 

The bill does not contain key national security spending priorities for the Biden White House, however, as aid for both Israel and Ukraine were left out of the measure.

The White House in late October requested nearly $106 billion in supplemental funding that included money for Ukraine in its war against Russia, funding for Israel in its fight against Hamas, money for humanitarian aid in the Middle East and funding for increased U.S. border security.

House Republicans initially presented a bill that only included funding for Israel, tied to spending cuts to the IRS. The White House said it would have vetoed the measure.