(WASHINGTON, DC) – It took until after midnight Saturday morning on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., but the United States Senate has voted to avert a government shutdown. The vote came hours after the United States House voted on a similar motion.
The continuing resolution passed 85-11 and extends current government funding levels for three months, authorizing a one-year farm bill extension, and securing vital farm and disaster aid. The funding will be extended until March 2025.
North Dakota Senators Kevin Cramer and John Hoeven voted in favor of averting the shutdown.
“While the passage of the bill is obviously important to avoid a government shutdown and of course to pass some priorities for North Dakota, it had better be the last time we do it this way,” Cramer said after the vote. “This is not how you should run the legislative branch and our constituents deserve a lot better than this incompetence and this dysfunction that we’ve seen these last few days and hours. I look forward to new leadership in Congress when Republicans become the majority in the Senate and Donald Trump occupies the White House.”
Hoeven addressed the impact to farmers and ranchers.
“Our farmers and ranchers have faced severe challenges this year from both market conditions as well as wildfires and other natural disasters. This assistance for our producers is vital to keep their operations going and ensure that Americans continue to have access to high quality, low cost food,” he said. “This assistance was necessary given the Democrats’ unwillingness to pass a farm bill that updated reference prices. We’ll continue our efforts to pass a strong farm bill that strengthens the farm safety net and keeps the farm in the farm bill.”
President Joe Biden has indicated he will sign the bill on Saturday.
