Business & Economy

US Senate approves partial 2024 budget, avoids govt shutdown

Washington, Mar 8 (EFE).- The United States Senate approved Friday a partial budget for the 2024 fiscal year with a planned expenditure of $460 billion, less than five hours before the limit.

With 75 votes in favor and 22 against, the senate passed the project the US House of Representatives approved Wednesday with 339 votes in favor and 85 against.

For a few hours there was uncertainty about whether the senate would be able to approve the project Friday, but an agreement was reached late in the afternoon that allowed the vote to be scheduled.

Once approved by both chambers of congress, US President Joe Biden must sign the project so the government can use the funds before they run out.

The 2024 fiscal year began on Oct. 1, 2023, but Democrats and Republicans had not been able to agree on the accounts, so congress had approved up to four budget extensions to avoid an administrative closure due to lack of funds.

The first of these extensions caused the fall of then-Lower House Speaker Kevin McCarthy due to an internal dispute among conservatives.

What was approved Friday is a 1,050-page macro bill that encompasses six budget laws and represents more or less half of the state budget. Congress has until Mar. 22 to approve the other half.

This budget includes funds for the departments of agriculture, commerce, justice, part of defense, transportation, interior and energy.

Republicans have achieved cuts in some of their priorities, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, which will see its budget reduced from $10.1 billion in 2023 to $9.2 billion.

An increase of $212 million has been agreed to the allocation for nuclear programs of the energy department, which amounts to $1,69 billion.

The White House plans to present its requests for the fiscal year 2025 budget next week when congress will not yet have approved the entire 2024 budget.

Every time an administrative closure is less than a week away, the White House activates a protocol to prepare all its departments.

A government shutdown would result in sending hundreds of thousands of public employees home without work or pay and the paralysis of many services.

The last closure of this type occurred during the Presidency of Republican Donald Trump and was, with 35 days (from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 29, 2019), the longest in history during the Christmas holidays. EFE

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