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Government shutdown live updates: Focus turns to Senate after House OKs spending bill

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

Last Updated: December 20, 2024, 5:46 PM EST

With a government shutdown narrowly avoided Friday night, the House passed a funding bill which is awaiting Senate approval and President Joe Biden's signature.

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 House 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.

7:16 PM EST

Schumer confident Senate will pass government funding bill

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he is confident the Senate will pass the government funding bill.

"The House has overwhelmingly passed a bill to keep the government open, and I’m confident the Senate will pass it as well," he said. "We hope to get it passed as soon as possible."

As of now, it is unclear when the vote will be. If the vote is moved to Saturday, there would be a lapse in government funding starting at midnight, but the impact of a shutdown would be minimal given it is a weekend.

"Though this bill does not include everything Democrats fought for, there are major victories in this bill for American families -- provide emergency aid for communities battered by natural disasters, no debt ceiling, and it will keep the government open with no draconian cuts," he added. "As I have said, the only way to keep the government open is through bipartisanship."

-ABC News' Mariam Khan

6:33 PM EST

Johnson says House will address debt limit in January

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House will address the debt limit "early in January."

Asked whether he still wants to be speaker, Johnson paused before expressing his appreciation for the challenging leadership post.

"Being speaker of the House is a challenge in this modern era, but it’s a challenge that we accept. It’s a great honor to serve in the position. I wouldn’t say it’s the most fun job in the world all the time, but it’s an important one. It’s a hugely consequential moment for the country," he said.

-ABC News' John Parkinson

6:28 PM EST

Johnson celebrates passage of funding bill, urges Senate to clear it swiftly

"We are really grateful that tonight, in bipartisan fashion, with overwhelming majority of votes, we passed the American Relief Act of 2025. This is a very important piece of legislation," Johnson said.

Johnson said the bill is "a necessary step to bridge the gap, to put us into that that moment where we can put our fingerprints on the final decisions on spending for 2025. We also, in this bill, as you know, took care of Americans who desperately needed and deserve the assistance.

"We also took care of our farmers, many of whom were on the brink of collapse because of Bidenomics, frankly, because the inflationary cost of their inputs," he added.

The speaker said he was in "constant contact with President Trump" and spoke with him 45 minutes ago.

"He knew exactly what we were doing and why, and this is a good outcome for the country. I think he certainly is happy about this outcome as well," he said.

Johnson said he talked to Elon Musk an hour ago, saying, "We talked about the extraordinary challenges of this job, and I said, 'Hey, you want to be speaker of the House?' I don't know. He said, this may be the hardest job in the world."

-ABC News' Lauren Peller and John Parkinson

6:07 PM EST

Voting formally ends, Democrats vote yes

With an overwhelming bipartisan majority, Republicans and Democrats came together Friday evening to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government open through March 14.

The final vote was 366-34-1, easily surpassing the two-thirds majority threshold needed for passage under suspension of the rules.

No Democrats voted against the measure, while 34 Republicans voted against it. One Democrat voted "present."

The bill now heads to the Senate with about six hours left before tonight’s deadline.

-ABC News' John Parkinson

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