WASHINGTON – In a last-minute effort, Congress came together to strike a bipartisan deal to keep the government operational, averting a partial shutdown just before the holidays and ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.

President Joe Biden officially endorsed the bill late Saturday morning, allowing government activities to proceed without interruption.

The Senate passed the spending package and forwarded it to Biden shortly after 12:38 a.m. on Saturday, voting 85 to 11, following a House decision to approve it with a 366 to 34 vote just hours earlier. This legislation secures funding for the government until March 14.

“We have avoided a government shutdown just before Christmas,” proclaimed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on social media as the final votes were tallied. “This bipartisan bill ensures government remains operational, assists those impacted by hurricanes and other disasters, supports our farmers, and prevents detrimental cuts.”

As of late Saturday morning, Trump had not made any public comments regarding the funding agreement. He had previously collaborated with billionaire advisor Elon Musk to undermine an earlier House funding proposal on Wednesday, only to see their new preferred plan fail on Thursday.

The agreement was reached despite criticisms from Musk, a significant contributor to Trump’s campaign, who raised questions about whether the legislation was a Republican or Democratic initiative.

“We are thankful that tonight, in a bipartisan manner with strong majority support, we passed the American Relief Act of 2025,” stated House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to reporters after the bill’s approval on Friday. “This is a significant legislative achievement.”

Johnson mentioned he had discussions with Trump and Musk before the House vote concluded, and they both recognized the necessity of moving forward, especially as Republicans prepare to take command over both chambers of Congress and the White House in January.

“With the new year, we will see a major shift in Washington,” Johnson said. “Changes are on the horizon.”

However, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., an opponent of the funding bill, criticized Johnson for excluding regular lawmakers from the negotiations.

“This situation showcases his indecisiveness,” Massie stated. “He proposes ideas that simply aren’t feasible.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., noted that the agreement was achieved after Republicans dropped a provision Trump had requested, which would have increased the government’s borrowing limit until after the 2026 elections.

The spending bill only temporarily resolves budget disagreements, with critical decisions on funding still pending until March. Congress has struggled to achieve agreement on the 12 spending bills necessary to support the government for the fiscal year beginning October 1.

This temporary solution will defer necessary budget decisions until Republicans regain complete control of the White House and the Senate in January, while maintaining their leadership in the House.

The funding debates have highlighted divisions within the Republican majority, which will continue when newly elected members take their positions on January 3. Despite a narrow lead, Republicans have ambitious goals for 2025 that could be hindered if they struggle to reach agreement on budgetary priorities.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who opposed the funding measure, pointed out that the bill offers few provisions outside of government financing, mentioning hurricane relief and agricultural support as some of the included elements.

“It didn’t meet my expectations,” Roy commented. “But ultimately, the government  have secured funding along with a debt ceiling agreement, including a basic framework for spending cuts, which is a positive development.

This “agreement,” reached solely among Republicans and not part of the main spending bill, proposes to increase the borrowing limit by $1.5 trillion while implementing $2.5 trillion in cuts. However, it remains uncertain when legislators will cast their votes on this proposal next year, which could lead to contentious debates.

A bipartisan effort to temporarily sustain government funding until March fell apart after Elon Musk, a prominent Trump adviser and campaign backer, threatened to find primary challengers for any Republican who supported the measure. Senator John Kennedy, R-La., remarked that parts of the lengthy 1,500-page bill made it reminiscent of “the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.”

Subsequently, Trump backed a funding extension that included a clause to raise the government’s borrowing capacity until after the 2026 election. On Wednesday, he warned he would seek to bring primary challengers against any Republican voting for a spending bill without an increase in the borrowing limit. Nevertheless, opposition from Democrats, supported by 38 Republicans, led to the proposal’s demise.

By midday Friday, House GOP leadership had devised a Plan C after their initial proposal was thwarted by Trump and his allies, and their second attempt to maintain government operations fell apart due to opposition from Democrats and a handful of Republicans.

If Congress hadn’t reached a resolution promptly, non-essential government agencies and services would have had to stop, and thousands of federal workers would have faced furloughs, among other repercussions.

This week, tensions escalated on Capitol Hill as House Republicans grappled with complicated directives from their party leader, Trump, while Democrats expressed outrage over the abandonment of the original bipartisan deal. The conflict, at least temporarily resolved, concludes what many are calling one of the most dysfunctional and unproductive sessions of Congress in recent memory.

This story has been updated to correct a typographical error.