Congress Approves Short-term Spending Bill, Avoids Shutdown of VA

As reported January 18 by Svetlana Shkolnikova for Stars and Stripes, Congress on Thursday voted to fund the VA, the Pentagon, and other federal agencies through early March, narrowly avoiding a partial government shutdown. The Senate signed off on a short-term funding extension in a 77-18 vote, followed by a 314-108 vote in the House. The bill will maintain spending for veterans programs, military construction, and other federal agencies and programs through March 1 and the Pentagon through March 8. Funding was set to expire Friday for parts of the VA and Feb. 2 for the Defense Department. The approved legislation gives lawmakers time to pass 12 bills allocating a total of $1.66 trillion to fund the entirety of the government through the 2024 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2023, and ends Sept. 30.