U.S. Senate belatedly passes budget extension bill

The U.S. Senate belatedly passed a bill to extend funding for the federal government, while allowing a formal shutdown. This is evidenced on December 21 by the results of the vote, which was broadcast by the TV channel C-SPAN.

Now the document is sent for signature to the President of the United States Joe Biden.

The countdown of the government shutdown began in Washington from midnight local time (08:00 Moscow time). It was specified that the shutdown is formal in connection with the weekend.

On the eve a few hours before the shutdown the bill was supported by the House of Representatives of the US Congress. It was specified that in support of the bill members of the House of Representatives were able to get two-thirds of the votes.

In this case, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson promised not to allow the shutdown, specifying that the Republican congressmen were trying to find a last-minute solution to the issue of funding the government.

On Thursday, December 19, the U.S. Congress failed to pass a bill to extend funding for the government and raise the national debt ceiling. 174 members of the lower house of Congress were in favor of the document, while 235 opposed it. The bill provides for the extension of funding of the federal government until March 14, 2025 and suspension until January 30, 2027 the ceiling of the national debt of the United States, which in November for the first time exceeded the mark of $ 36 trillion.