The Senate passed a bill late Saturday night to keep the U.S. government open and running through mid-November.
The bill was passed 88-9 with Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Mike Lee (R-UT), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and J.D. Vance (R-OH) voting “no.”
The Senate passed the bill after the House passed the bill earlier in the day with 335 votes — 209 Democrats and 126 Republicans.
The funding includes $16 billion in “disaster relief funds, an extension of a federal flood insurance program and FAA reauthorization — but no Ukraine aid,” The Washington Post reported.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
The passage of the bill came just hours before the U.S. government was set to shut down at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday.
After voting “no” on the bill, Paul said, “When I said I’d do everything I could to stop the U.S. government from being held hostage to Ukraine, I meant it.”
“We cannot continue to put the needs of other countries above our own,” he said. “We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the U.S. economy. I’m grateful to all Members of Congress who stood with me, but the battle to fund our government isn’t over yet – the forever-war crowd will return.”
President Joe Biden released a statement following the bill’s passage praising both parties for being able to work together to avert a shutdown. He went on to sign the bill late Saturday night.
“Tonight, bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate voted to keep the government open, preventing an unnecessary crisis that would have inflicted needless pain on millions of hardworking Americans,” he said. “This bill ensures that active-duty troops will continue to get paid, travelers will be spared airport delays, millions of women and children will continue to have access to vital nutrition assistance, and so much more. This is good news for the American people.”
This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates.