Feb. 9 (UPI) — After Congress approved a new two-year budget deal on Friday, President Donald Trump signed the legislation, ending a five-and-a-half-hour government shutdown.
The Senate had passed the budget deal on a 71-28 vote not long after the shutdown began at midnight. The House passed the proposal 240-186 — despite Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi‘s record-breaking speech urging party members to reject the bill because it doesn’t address the Defense of Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
“This is a great victory for our men and women in uniform. Republicans and Democrats joined together to finally give our troops the resources and our generals the certainty to plan for the future,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said.
Trump signed the legislation early Friday.
Just signed Bill. Our Military will now be stronger than ever before. We love and need our Military and gave them everything — and more. First time this has happened in a long time. Also means JOBS, JOBS, JOBS!
The two-year deal increases domestic spending by $131 billion and defense spending by $165 billion, while providing nearly $90 billion in disaster aid for Texas, Florida, California, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It also suspends the debt limit for one year.
Other items signed into law with H.R. 1892 authorize the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff if a first-responder dies in the line of duty, provide tax relief to families and individuals, offer incentives for job growth and add incentives for energy production and conservation.
Although the measure doesn’t address DACA, the Senate pledged to deal with the fate of the program’s ‘Dreamers’ next week.
Trump has ordered the end of DACA by March 5 unless Congress reforms the Obama-era program.
“To anyone who doubts my intention to solve this problem and bring up a DACA and immigration reform bill: Do not,” Ryan said at a news conference Thursday. “We will bring a solution to the floor, one that the president will sign. We must pass this budget agreement first, though, so that we can get onto that. So please know that we are committed to getting this done.”
Despite Pelosi’s opposition to the bill, many Democratic leaders voted in favor of the budget legislation.
“What makes Democrats proudest of this bill is that after a decade of cuts to programs that help the middle class, we have a dramatic reversal,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.
“Funding for education, infrastructure, fighting drug abuse, and medical research will all, for the first time in years, get very significant increases, and we have placed Washington on a path to deliver more help to the middle class in the future.”
The budget resolution followed Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., refusing any action on the spending bill before the midnight funding deadline — triggering the second government shutdown in less than a month.
Paul admitted his delay was a symbolic gesture to prove a point about keeping Congress under strict budget caps and strip the debt limit from the package. The bill lifts federal spending caps for the two-year duration.
