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Government shutdown live updates: Senate approves short-term government funding bill

The deal does not include a provision to raise the debt limit.

ByLauren Peller, John Parkinson, and Ivan Pereira
Last Updated: December 21, 2024, 12:43 AM EST

With a government shutdown narrowly avoided Friday night, the House and Senate sent a funding bill to President Joe Biden's desk.

An initial bipartisan deal was tanked earlier this week by President-elect Donald Trump and his ally, Elon Musk. Then on Thursday night, the House failed to pass a revamped plan that included Trump's explosive demand that the debt limit be extended.

Under the proposal, the 118-page bill contains most of the provisions that were put in place in the bipartisan bill that was agreed to on Wednesday. The bill includes $100 billion for disaster aid, $30 billion for farmers and a one-year extension of the farm bill, provisions that were under heavy debate prior to this week's votes.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing:
Dec 19, 2024, 5:24 PM EST

Bernie Sanders decries Musk on X for spurring shutdown

A day after Elon Musk took to his social media platform X to threaten members of Congress supporting a funding plan, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders clapped back.

Sanders made two posts on X Thursday calling out Musk's intimidation and Republicans for folding under the pressure.

"Are we still a democracy or have we already moved to oligarchy and authoritarianism?" the independent senator asked.

"The US Congress this week came to an agreement to fund our government. Elon Musk, who became $200 BILLION richer since Trump was elected, objected. Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk? This is oligarchy at work," he added in another post.

Dec 19, 2024, 5:21 PM EST

House slated to debate new funding plan soon

The House is slated to debate and then vote on the new government funding plan this evening.

House Speaker Mike Johnson scheduled a vote on the American Relief Act, 2025, between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Eastern time.

It’s expected to be taken up under suspension of the rules, which will require a two-thirds majority for the bill to pass.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he’s against the measure. Should this vote fail, Republicans will need to go back to the drawing board.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

Dec 19, 2024, 4:55 PM EST

Details of new GOP funding plan revealed

A funding plan just released by Republicans included some new proposals that appeared to satisfy Trump and others.

The proposal includes a three-month government funding extension, a two-year suspension of the debt limit that kicks the deadline to January 2027, a farm bill extension, a $110 billion disaster relief expansion and funding to rebuild the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

The bill leaves out the provision transferring the RFK Stadium site from the federal government control to Washington, D.C., control and restrictions on U.S. outbound investment in China.

-ABC News' Lauren Peller

Dec 19, 2024, 4:53 PM EST

'Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a shutdown': Jeffries

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries continued his criticism of Republicans following the announcement that House Republicans have reached a deal to avert a government shutdown.

"The Musk-Johnson proposal is not serious. It’s laughable. Extreme MAGA Republicans are driving us to a government shutdown," he said.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries walks with staff to hold a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 19, 2024.
Leah Millis/Reuters

Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, also chimed in, contending Democrats had a bipartisan deal on the table after many weeks of negotiating that was blown up by Musk.

"It's an intolerable way of proceeding," he said. "Democrats are going to try to figure out how to salvage the public good out of the wreckage just foist upon us."

-ABC News' Mary Bruce

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