Congress Passes Short Term Spending Bill: Avoids Government Shutdown

(October 1, 2015) With only a few hours to spare on the last day of the Federal fiscal year, Congress avoided another government shutdown and passed a short term spending bill, funding the federal government through December 11. Earlier in the morning on Wednesday the Senate voted 78-20 to send the funding measure (FY16 Continuing Resolution) to the House of Representatives. Later that evening, the House adopted the measure by a vote of 277-151, sending the legislation to the President to sign which he had indicated he would do. House Republicans also sent a last minute resolution to cut off government funding for Planned Parenthood to the Senate, but it is likely the Senate Democrats will block any attempts to vote on it. Debate now shifts toward discussions on raising the debt ceiling before it is set to default at the end of October.