US avoids government shutdown after days of political turmoil

President Biden signs a budget to avert what would be the first US federal shutdown since 2019.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersUS avoids government shutdown after days of political turmoilGetty ImagesDemocratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer gives a thumbs up walking out of the Senate ChamberThe US government has enacted a budget to avert shutting itself down, but the bitterly disputed deal doesn't include a call from President-elect Donald Trump to increase the federal borrowing limit.

US President Joe Biden signed the spending bill into law on Saturday morning. The Senate passed the agreement shortly after a midnight deadline by 85-11. The House of Representatives approved it hours earlier by 336-34.

Without a funding deal, millions of federal employees would have ended up either on temporary unpaid leave or working without pay.

US government debt stands at about $36 trillion (£29tn), with more money now being spent just on the interest payments than on US national security.

A shutdown would have closed or severely reduced operations for public services like parks, food assistance programmes and federally-funded preschools, while limiting assistance to aid-reliant farmers and people recovering from natural disasters.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqjzwq7pg0go

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