Biden signs package of spending bills as latest shutdown threat avoided
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Saturday signed a $460 billion package of spending bills approved by the Senate in time to avoid a shutdown of many key federal agencies. The legislation’s success gets lawmakers about halfway home in wrapping up their appropriations work for the 2024 budget year.
The measure contains six annual spending bills and had already passed the House. In signing it into law, Biden thanked leaders and negotiators from both parties in both chambers for their work, which the White House said will mean that agencies “may continue their normal operations.”
Meanwhile, lawmakers are negotiating a second package of six bills, including defense, in an effort to have all federal agencies fully funded by a March 22 deadline.
“To folks who worry that divided government means nothing ever gets done, this bipartisan package says otherwise,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said after lawmakers passed the measure Friday night just hours before a deadline.
He said the bill’s passage would allow for the hiring of more air traffic controllers and rail safety inspectors, give federal firefighters a raise and boost support for homeless veterans, among other things.
The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 75-22. Lawmakers sought votes on several amendments and wanted to have their say on the bill and other priorities during debate on the floor. It had been unclear midday if senators would be able to avert a short shutdown, though eventual passage was never really in doubt.
“I would urge my colleagues to stop playing with fire here,” said Senator Susan Collins, the top-ranking Republican member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “It would be irresponsible for us not to clear these bills and do the fundamental job that we have of funding government.”
The votes came more than five months into the current budget year after congressional leaders relied on a series of stopgap bills to keep federal agencies funded for a few more weeks or months at a time while they struggled to reach agreement on full-year spending.
In the end, total discretionary spending set by Congress is expected to come in at about $1.66 trillion for the full budget year ending Sept. 30.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Biden addresses age directly in new campaign ad
In a new advertisement for his reelection campaign, President Joe Biden tries to take one of his greatest perceived liabilities as a candidate, his age, and turn it into an advantage.
“Look, I’m not a young guy. That’s no secret,” says a smiling Biden, talking directly to the camera. “But here’s the deal: I understand how to get things done for the American people.”
Biden, 81, goes on to list the accomplishments of his first term, including his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, capping insulin prices for older consumers, and passing infrastructure legislation — while contrasting his record with that of former president Donald
Trump, whom he accuses of taking away “the freedom of women to choose” in reproductive matters.
With a fiery State of the Union address under his belt, Biden is entering full campaign mode. The new ad is the first in a $30 million blitz that will target key battleground states over the next six weeks. Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and their spouses are crisscrossing the country to host political events. And on Saturday, three Democratic groups representing people of color — the AAPI Victory Fund, the Collective PAC and the Latino Victory Fund — are endorsing Biden and pledging to spend another $30 million to turn their voters out.
Biden often jokes about his age in small settings. But Americans are more likely to be familiar with his angry remarks over a recent special counsel’s report, which referred to him as a “wellmeaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
The new ad, titled “For You,” represents a shift in tone. Its joking familiarity may appeal to younger voters, whose support Biden needs to shore up, and it will play on channels popular with a youthful demographic, including ESPN, Adult Swim, and Comedy Central.
NEW YORK TIMES
Trump praises, hosts Orban at Mar-a-Lago
Donald Trump praised Viktor Orban as a “fantastic leader” while poking fun at criticism of the Hungarian prime minister’s self-proclaimed illiberal tendencies as the two populist leaders met Friday at Mar-a-Lago.
Orban “is a non-controversial figure because he says, ‘this is the way it’s going to be,’ and that’s the end of it,” Trump joked to a room full of attendees at his Florida resort, according to video of the event posted by Orban on Instagram. “Right? He’s the boss. No — he’s a great leader, fantastic leader.”
Trump feted Orban with a tour of his residence, dinner with former first Lady Melania Trump, an hour-long meeting with senior aides, and musical performance by a band covering Roy Orbison.
The meeting is a defiant act by Trump just a day after President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address accused his presumptive November opponent and Republicans of turning their backs on democratic ideals by blocking additional assistance for Ukraine.
The Biden administration has criticized Orban over his friendly relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he met last October in China, as well as legislation in Hungary that the State Department warned could “intimidate and punish” critics of Orban’s government.
BLOOMBERG NEWS