The US president is praising passage of budget legislation after days of uncertainty and negotiations that went down to the wire.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has signed it into law bipartisan funding bill which prevents a government shutdown, just days after Congress was disrupted after President-elect Donald Trump rejected the first deal.
The White House announced Saturday that Mr. Biden had signed the legislation, which funds the government through mid-March.
“This agreement represents a compromise, which means that neither side wants it. But it rejects a quick way to cut taxes for the billionaires that the Republicans wanted, and it ensures that the government continues to work fully,” said Mr. Biden, a Democrat. words.
“This is good news for Americans, especially when families gather to celebrate this holiday.”
The Democratic-controlled Senate, in a vote of 85-11, approved the bill to continue funding the government 38 minutes after midnight (05:00 GMT) in Washington, DC, on Saturday.
The budget was to be purified The Republican-controlled House of Representatives early Friday evening with bipartisan support.
Saturday's signing marks a tense week in the US Congress after Trump, who takes office in January, and his mentor, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, raised objections the first bipartisan agreement.
Trump insisted that the deal also included an increase in the federal borrowing limit. If not, he said, let the government stop it “from now on”.
Lawmakers spent several days trying to hammer out another deal, with a major shutdown of government services that ended the last holiday season.
A shutdown would have meant a shutdown of non-essential jobs, with more than 875,000 workers out of a job and more than 1.4 million workers forced to work without pay.
The final bill provides government funding for the current state until March 14. It also provides $100bn in disaster relief and $10bn in aid to farmers.
But the deal removed some of the incentives from Democrats, who criticized Republicans for resisting pressure from Democrats. an unelected billionaire – Musk – who has no experience in government.
Some Republicans voted against the package because it did not cut spending.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said the party would have it more next yearwhen it will be big in both chambers of Congress and Trump will be in the White House.
“This was an important step to narrow the gap, to put us at a time when we can put our fingers on the final decision on spending,” he told reporters after the House vote, adding that Trump supported the deal.
Johnson added that the compromise was a “good result for the country”.
However, the episode raises questions about whether Johnson will stay able to keep his job in the face of angry Republican colleagues.
The House plans to elect the next speaker on January 3, when the new Congress convenes.
Republicans will have a majority, 220-215, leaving Johnson with little room for error as he tries to win back the speakership.