Government shutdown updates: Biden signs stopgap funding measure

The president signed the 45-day bill on Saturday night.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Nadine El-Bawab, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: September 30, 2023, 11:26 PM EDT

The U.S. seemed to be barreling toward what would have been one of the largest government shutdowns in history -- until a stopgap 45-day funding bill was hastily passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden on Saturday night, not long before the deadline.

Had lawmakers failed to reach an agreement, 3.5 million federal workers would have been expected to go without a paycheck, millions of women and children would have lost nutrition assistance, national parks would likely have closed and more.

The temporary legislation, which lasts until mid-November, affords more time for the House Republican majority and the Senate's Democratic majority to work out longer-term bills.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
Sep 30, 2023, 2:38 PM EDT

House voting now on 45-day stopgap spending bill

The House is voting now on the 45-day stopgap spending bill. Because of the procedural method Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy used to expedite consideration of the measure, it will require a two-thirds majority for passage.

If all 433 members vote, that means it needs 289 votes for passage.

Earlier Saturday, when voting on the motion to adjourn, there were only 427 members voting –- which would means it needs 285 votes for passage.

-ABC News' John Parkinson

Sep 30, 2023, 2:38 PM EDT

Jeffries' 'magic minute' ends after less than an hour

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke for less than an hour. He talked about “MAGA extremism,” the impeachment inquiry, trickle down economics and issuing his displeasure of Republicans' last-minute attempt to fund the government.

Debate is resuming and should wrap up in a few minutes before the vote begins.

-ABC News' John Parkinson

Sep 30, 2023, 2:33 PM EDT

Senate Republicans to stall their own funding bill, banking on House to get the job done 1st

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell made it official moments ago: Senate Republicans are going to stop the Senate funding bill in its tracks, with just hours to go until a government shutdown.

Senate Republicans are doing this because they're encouraged by the stopgap funding bill put forward in the House earlier today: a 45-day funding bill with disaster aid.

"It looks like there may be a bipartisan agreement coming from the House, so I'm fairly confident that most of my members are going to vote against cloture not necessarily because they're opposed to the underlying bill to see what the House can do on a bipartisan basis and then bring it over to us," McConnell said before heading to the Senate floor. "Under these circumstances I'm recommending a no vote even though I very much want to avoid a government shutdown."

What does that ultimately mean?: Republicans are going to put all their eggs in one basket today. It could be a risk. By voting to stall their own bill, Republicans are banking on the House sending them their bill today. And it's not yet clear whether that bill will pass the House. If it does, the Senate is going to have to unanimously agree to vote on it today if they want to avert a shutdown before midnight.

It's a risk for Senate Republicans to make this move. But if the House sends them this bill, it could mean a government shutdown is narrowly averted.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Sep 30, 2023, 1:36 PM EDT

House continues debate on stop-gap; Jeffries begins 'magic minute'

House Democrats were successful in delaying the continuing resolution for more than an hour with their procedural motion to adjourn; 427 members cast votes on the motion giving leaders a strong sense of how many lawmakers are in town ahead of the suspension vote on the CR.

They’re now resuming debate on the continuing resolution. There are about 10 minutes left of debate.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is now delivering a "magic minute" floor speech. That "magic minute" is essentially untimed remarks on the floor for either the speaker of the house or minority leader.

Nancy Pelosi once carried on for over eight hours about DACA recipients in 2018. Kevin McCarthy broke the record in 2021, speaking for over 8 hours and 30 minutes.

"Strap in because this may take a little while," Jeffries said.

-ABC News' John Parkinson

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