WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives approved a bipartisan federal The spending bill was sent to the Senate on Friday, just hours before a midnight deadline to fund the government. It was unclear Friday whether the Senate would pass the bill by 12:00 p.m. ET, when the funding would be available technical error.

bill Continue to fund the federal government Maintain current levels for three months and provide disaster relief and agricultural assistance.

The bill has strong Democratic support and a two-thirds vote of lawmakers, a high threshold that reflects both parties’ desire to avoid a costly government shutdown that could endanger millions of Americans just days before Christmas. The salaries of one hundred thousand federal employees.

The bill has a realistic path to passage in the Democratic-controlled Senate. But the House’s parliamentary procedures give individual senators more power to block legislation.

If the bill passes the Senate in its current form, outgoing President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law soon.

“While it does not include everything we sought … President Biden supports moving forward with this legislation,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Friday.

The House vote capped days of chaos on Capitol Hill during which Johnson tried and failed to meet President-elect Donald Trump’s demands.

Trump and his billionaire campaign donors Elon MuskTesla’s chief executive on Wednesday doomed an early-negotiated financing plan by harshly criticizing its terms, leaving Republicans scrambling for much of Thursday to find a funding package. replacement plan.

Specifically, Trump insisted that any deal to keep the government open must include a two-year suspension of the U.S. debt ceiling. The limit is the most the federal government can borrow to cover its spending.

The debt ceiling is a heated debate that recurs every few years in Washington, where the minority party usually has a lot of influence. Trump appears eager to avoid that fight at the start of his second term.

But for many hardline conservative Republicans, authorizing the U.S. to borrow more money is a bridge too far.

That was evident on Thursday. billIt contained the basics of a government funding and debt ceiling increase, but was a resounding failure. Along with nearly all Democrats, 38 rank-and-file Republicans voted against it, after them Party leaders have publicly backed the deal.

Like Thursday’s failed vote, Friday’s passage — without Trump raising the debt ceiling — is a reminder to the incoming president of how difficult it is to control the notoriously fractious House Republican caucus.

This is a development story. Please check back for updates.