House passes spending bill, setting up showdown in the Senate
The House on Thursday evening passed a bill that funds the government through Feb. 18, in an attempt to avert a shutdown set to occur Friday at midnight.
The measure passed with a 221-212 vote, and it now heads to the Senate, where conservative Republicans have threatened to block the bill as a way of protesting against vaccine mandates for large companies. The bill has the backing of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), with Schumer saying it was "not easy to reach this deal," adding, "let's be clear, if there is a shutdown, it will be a Republican, anti-vaccine shutdown."
Before the House vote, President Biden told reporters he spoke with Schumer and McConnell, and unless "somebody decides to be totally erratic," he doesn't think there will be a government shutdown.
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