Despite Republican Opposition To Vaccine Requirements, Congress Passes A Stopgap Financing Bill, Preventing A Government Shutdown.

House and Senate lawmakers narrowly avoided a government shutdown on Thursday by passing a package to finance the federal government until early next year, preventing a shutdown after some Republicans tried to exploit the approaching fiscal deadline to attack President Biden over his vaccine policies.

The two victorious nighttime votes putting an end to a brief but stressful period that threatened to bring Washington to a halt by Saturday morning, a move Democrats had criticized as foolish and hazardous in the midst of a deadly pandemic.

The new agreement, which must be signed by Vice President Joe Biden, covers federal spending through February 18. At that time, lawmakers must either pass another short-term measure or finish a dozen long-stalled bills.

The new agreement, which must be signed by Vice President Joe Biden, covers federal spending through February 18. At that point, Congress must either pass another short-term measure or finish a dozen long-stalled appropriations bills to fund the government for the rest of fiscal year 2022, which ends in September.

Even while both parties claimed they didn't want to drive the country over the edge, they came dangerously near to missing their deadline. Conservative Republicans had threatened to stall the funding bill for days as part of a long-running protest of Vice President Joe Biden's vaccination directives, including those requiring large companies to demand inoculations or create rigorous testing programs. Some politicians, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have even called for a government shutdown.

Some members, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have even advocated for a shutdown to prevent the White House from enforcing its own rules.