Biden signs stopgap funding bill to keep government running

4/12/2021 6:20

                US President Joe Biden on Friday signed into law the stopgap spending bill that will keep the US federal government running through Feb. 18th, after congressional leaders defused a partisan standoff over federal vaccine mandates.
        
        The White House released a statement noting the bill signing and thanking congressional leaders for their work.
        
        Earlier in the day, Biden said it was worth praising bipartisanship, but “funding the government isn’t a great achievement, it’s the bare minimum of what needs to get done.”
        
        Both chambers of Congress passed the legislation Thursday avoiding a short-term shutdown of the government into the weekend.
        
        The bill keeps the federal government running for 11 more weeks, generally at current spending levels, while adding $7 billion to aid Afghanistan evacuees.
        The Senate approved the measure by a vote of 69-28. Nineteen Republican senators joined with Democrats in voting for the measure.
        
        The Democratic-led House passed the measure by a 221-212 vote.