On Tuesday, November 14th, the United States Government passed a bill to avoid a looming government shutdown. Congress had until Saturday to avert a shutdown. Upon Senate approval, the bill will go to President Biden, who is expected to sign it into effect. The bill, which will be revisited on January 19th of next year, was passed with 336 votes to 95:93 Republicans opposed the bill and 209 of the votes to pass it came from Democrats. The bill covers numerous components of our nation such as funding for veterans’ affairs, transportation, military construction, housing, and the Energy Department. Funds for other facets of government will be revisited on February 2nd. New House Speaker Mike Johnson had a unique approach to passing the bill by splitting it into two;  looking back at past bills, it is not common to have two separate deadlines (January 19th and February 2nd) for different aspects of government funding. Alex Nguyen, a political scientist, had some thoughts to share about the shutdown: “As someone who is very interested and pays very close attention to the news, I am glad that a bipartisan bill was passed. I am curious to see how Mike Johnson continues to handle the role of Speaker of the House.” Avoiding a government shutdown was crucial as it would cost taxpayers four billion dollars and reduce real gross domestic product (GDP) by eleven billion dollars that year. Additionally, a shutdown could harm federal workers, as nearly 800,000 people would go without pay if one occurs. Karter Goran, a 10th-grade student at CdM, said, “I want to learn more about what is going on in our government and the different bills being passed. I kept up to date with this recent bill that was passed and the approaching threat of a potential shutdown. I am curious to see what happens in January.” Nguyen added “As I have kept myself informed over the years, I believe that it is very important for everyone to be aware of what is going on in our government. I feel a lot better about the direction of the nation, and it is always nice to be well-informed.” Students can keep an eye out on what is going on in the United States Government–especially as the two new deadlines approach in early 2024. Although CdM is far away from DC here in Southern California, the decisions made there can affect the local community. 

Information contained in this article is from: 

CNN “Congress Passes Funding Bill to Avert Government Shutdown”

NBC “Senate Passes Short-Term Bill Avoiding a Government Shutdown”