The US Congress is on track to avert an impending last-minute shutdown of government operations. The House of Representatives passed an interim budget with a large majority a few hours before the deadline to prevent such a “shutdown”. The other chamber of Congress, the Senate, still has to approve the draft – which is considered likely.
President Joe Biden must then sign the law before it can take effect. The White House has already announced that Biden supports the legislation to ensure the government’s ability to function.
Democrats and Republicans had actually already negotiated a comprehensive legal text for an interim budget days ago. But President-elect Donald Trump quickly torpedoed its adoption – together with his close confidant, the tech billionaire Elon Musk. Trump called on his Republican representatives not to agree to the first draft – which had already been negotiated. He plunged Parliament into major turbulence shortly before the Christmas break. Parliamentarians have been working at full speed over the past few days to negotiate a new draft.
