Biden signs legislation to expand funding for critical departments

President Biden signed a $460 billion spending package on Saturday to avert a shutdown of crucial federal departments, even as lawmakers continue to wrestle over a funding blueprint for many other agencies more than halfway through the current fiscal year.

The president completed the legislation before leaving his home in Wilmington, Del., to fly to Atlanta for a campaign rally. It will extend funding through the remainder of the fiscal year ending September 30 for about half of the government, including the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Justice, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Veterans Affairs.

But the rest of the government, including the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security, remained on life support in the short term, leaving the prospect that the money would run out by March 22 unless Congress and the president could agree on a plan. During his short term in office, Chairman Mike Johnson has made clear that he wants to avoid a shutdown, even to the point of relying on Democratic votes, but the road ahead remains difficult.

In a White House statement, Mr. Biden made no mention of the outstanding issues, simply expressing gratitude to eight congressional leaders for defusing the crisis during the first half of the administration. “Thank you,” he wrote, crediting the eight “for their leadership.”

The $460 billion legislation, which included six of the 12 annual spending bills, passed 339-85 in the House of Representatives on Wednesday and 75-22 in the Senate on Friday, just in time to meet the midnight deadline. when the financing would expire. Mr. Biden ordered a halt to preparations for a partial shutdown until he could sign the bill on Saturday.

The measure will keep funding for affected agencies largely at the level of the debt limit and spending deal negotiated by Mr. Biden and Mr. Johnson’s predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, last year, keeping domestic spending relatively flat outside of programs of certain veterans.

Although Republicans managed to include some relatively modest policy provisions in the package, their most polarizing demands were rejected. Among the policies Republicans left out of the spending package was a measure to cut funding for a new Food and Drug Administration rule that allowed the abortion drug mifepristone to be distributed through the mail and in stores.

Congress now has 13 days to complete the six remaining spending bills unless it decides to give itself more time. A challenge for Mr Johnson, who is under enormous pressure from hardliners at his conference to press ahead with deeper cuts to domestic spending. programs, even though he has an extremely slim majority.