The U.S. House has passed and sent to the president stopgap funding to keep the lights on at USDA and other departments until December 11th.
“On this vote, the yeas are 370, the nays are 48.”
The vote was bipartisan, unlike during two earlier record-long government shutdowns that hit farmers, rural hospitals, TSA agents, veterans, and troops.
And the latest stopgap was good news for those who depend on USDA. Missouri Republican Mark Alford.
“It keeps SNAP and WIC operating for Missouri mothers and children. It sustains USDA programs our farmers and ranchers depend on. It funds disaster relief and surface transportation.”
Preventing a shutdown avoids interruptions of farm loans, conservation payments, research, rural development, crop reports, and more.
Top Appropriations Democrat Rosa DeLauro called on her side to support the bill after the Senate bill removed provisions Democrats opposed.
“It freezes a White House budget policy that would take substantial power over federal funding away from the Congress and claim it for the president.”
Despite that, the White House backed the final bill to avert a shutdown neither party wanted right before the midterm elections.
But the true test of bipartisanship will come after the elections, when lawmakers either agree on full-year spending bills or again face the need for a stopgap to keep the lights on.