The US Senate approved a partial budget for 2024 and avoided an executive shutdown of the government

He United States Senate Approved this Friday with There were 75 votes in favor and 22 againstAnd just five hours before the funding deadline, a partial budget for fiscal year 2024, including expected spending 460,000 million dollars.

The Senate thus gave its nod to the project which was already approved on Wednesday House of Representatives with 339 votes in favor and 85 against.

For a few hours there was much uncertainty as to whether the Senate would be able to approve the project this Friday, but an agreement was reached in the afternoon that allowed the vote to be scheduled.

After approval by both houses of Congress, the American President, Joe Biden, The project must be signed off so that the government can use the funds before they run out.

He FY 2024 It was set to begin on October 1, 2023, but Democrats and Republicans couldn’t agree on the accounts, so Congress allowed until then. Four budget expansions To avoid administrative closure due to lack of funds.

The first of these expansions, in fact, led to the downfall of the then Speaker of the Lower House, a Republican Kevin McCarthy.

What was approved this Friday is the macro 1,050 page bill which consists of six budget laws and represents half or less of the state budget. Congress has until then to approve the other half March 22.

These partial budgets include funds for agriculture, commerce, justice, defense, transport, interior or energy departments. The total is 460,000 million dollars.

Republicans have achieved cuts in some of their priorities, viz Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, in English) which will see its budget drop from $10.1 billion in 2023 to $9.2 billion now.

Similarly, the increase of 212 million dollars The amount for the Department of Energy’s nuclear programs, which is $1.69 billion.

Paradoxically, the The White House It plans to present its budget requests next week FY 2025 While the Congress has not yet approved the entire 2024 bill.

Every time an executive shutdown is less than a week away, the White House activates protocols to prepare all its departments.

A government shutdown would mean sending thousands of public workers home without work or pay and the paralysis of many services.

The last such shutdown occurred during a Republican presidency Donald Trump (2017-2021) and with 35 days (December 22, 2018 to January 29, 2019), was the longest in history during the Christmas holidays.

(with information from EFE)