Biden Signs Funding Bill Through March 2025, Averting Shutdown Amid Trump's Demands

Dec 21, 2024, 04:46 PM

President Joe Biden signed the "American Relief Act, 2025" on Saturday, averting a government shutdown just days before Christmas. The stopgap funding bill extends federal funding through March 14, 2025, and provides over $100 billion in disaster relief and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers. The legislation also reauthorizes the Agriculture Bill for one year. The bill's passage came after a tumultuous week in Washington, where last-minute demands from President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk imperiled negotiations and derailed House Speaker Mike Johnson's original plan. Trump's demands for a debt limit extension were rejected. The Senate passed the bill with a vote of 85 in favor and 11 against in the early hours of Saturday, and Biden signed it shortly thereafter. In a statement, Biden said, "The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open and delivers the urgently needed disaster relief that I requested for recovering communities as well as the funds needed to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge."