The U.S. Senate on March 14 approved a House-passed bill to extend government funding by six months, hours before a shutdown deadline.
After days of speculation about its ultimate fate in the upper chamber, the Senate agreed to final passage of the bill in a 54–46 vote on Friday evening. The legislation now heads to the desk of President Donald Trump, who’s expected to sign it.
Though a handful of Democrats voted to advance the bill earlier the same day, only Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Angus King (I-Vt.) supported final passage. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only Republican to oppose the package, citing budget concerns.
The legislation, which passed the House on March 11 in a 217–213 vote, extends government funding through Sept. 30, the final day of the fiscal year.
It increases defense spending by about $6 billion while cutting non-defense spending by $13 billion compared to last year’s levels. Overall, the measure reduces spending by about $7 billion from the previous year.
Four proposed amendments to the package—including one to reduce its duration to 30 days and another from Paul to implement certain recommendations made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—were defeated ahead of