Biden Signs Stopgap Bill; Averting Shutdown and Extending Farm Bill

On Thursday November 17^th, President Biden signed Speaker Johnson’s stopgap bill, averting a government shutdown.  The Bill passed 336 to 95 in the House, and 87 to 11 in the Senate.   The Freedom caucus did not support Johnson’s plan because it does not include spending cuts or border security provisions.  Johnson has explained that he wants to advance these policies, but that Republicans have too thin a majority to include those provisions without risking a government shutdown.  The bill introduces as a ladder-approach deadline, with Veterans Affairs, Energy, Agriculture, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development taking the January 19^th deadline. The rest of the agencies would be funded through Feb. 2. The bill also includes a one-year extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, which gives the House and Senate Agriculture Committees additional time to complete work on the next Farm Bill.