It was quite literally a race against time for lawmakers in Washington as an ominous government shutdown loomed ahead of a midnight deadline on Saturday.
Lawmakers met behind closed doors in the early morning hours on Saturday to use every available bit of time to try and agree to a plan to fund the U.S. government.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy pivoted from what seemed to be a never-ending holding pattern in negotiations, to focus on a proposed 45-day temporary spending bill that lawmakers hoped would be a step towards avoiding a shutdown of U.S. government services.
On brink of government shutdown, McCarthy focuses on 45-day plan
The Republican leader on Saturday worked to push a 45-day funding bill through the House that would require Democratic help.
It was still unclear how lawmakers would move forward after the House reconvened just before noon on Saturday to debate the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024. But, by Saturday afternoon, the House passed the 45-day funding bill, and sent it to the Senate.
NEW @scrippsnews: White House says its tracking short-term funding bill passed by the House.
A White House official highlights to @HaleyBullNews that it keeps the government open at higher funding levels than the Senate bill and includes disaster relief and FAA authorization.
— Nathaniel Reed (@ReedReports) September 30, 2023
