House Passes Bill to Suspend Debt Limit, Temporarily Fund Government

The House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday to temporarily fund the government until early December and suspend the debt limit through 2022.

The bill, passed less than two weeks before the government’s current funding expires on October 1, went through in a 220 to 211 party line vote, the Wall Street Journal reports. All democrats voted for it, and all republicans voted against it.

The Senate is expected to vote on the bill later this week or early next week, and republicans are threatening to block it, which would leave democrats scrambling to find another way to prevent a government spending fiasco.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that republicans would, however, vote for a standalone funding bill without a debt limit suspension attached.

In order to prevent a government shutdown, Congress must come up with a spending plan no later than September 30.

“We want to send it over to the Senate and give the Senate an opportunity to consider it and figure out what they’re going to do,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday.