U.S. Capitol
In the wee hours of Friday morning, U.S. Congress sent to President Donald Trump, R, a federal funding resolution that finances the government through March 23. Missouri U.S. Senators Roy Blunt, R, and Claire McCaskill, D, voted in favor of the measure. The state’s U.S. House members voted along party lines to get the massive spending package to the White House.
The bi-partisan plan includes $300 billion increases in defense and domestic spending. The military funding covers the next two years. The financial package unleashes new funding for America’s crisis with prescription drug addiction, infrastructure investments, disaster relief aid, and multi-year funding for community health centers and a children’s health insurance safety net program.
The ups and downs in the markets could be partially alleviated by the agreement’s extension of the federal debt ceiling that allows more borrowing into March 2019.
President Trump’s blessing would end a brief government shutdown for the second time in less than one month. White House officials say Trump will sign the measure into law, despite an earlier reported indication that he would support a shutdown if lawmakers fail to reach a comprehensive immigration deal this week.
The showdown now shifts to federal immigration policy changes. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, is keeping his budget deal promise by moving to immigration debate next week.