03/23/2024 – 16:17
The United States Congress approved in the early hours of this Saturday (23) a budget law to finance federal agencies and departments until September and avoid a partial shutdown of government activities.
The Senate exceeded the deadline, which expired at midnight on Friday, but, after an agreement between Democrats and Republicans, voted in favor of the amount of 1.2 trillion dollars, after the House of Representatives approved the initiative.
“It wasn’t easy, but tonight our perseverance paid off (…). It’s good for the American people that we’ve reached a bipartisan agreement to get the job done,” said Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Hours later, the President of the United States, Democrat Joe Biden, signed the law approved by Congress: “The bipartisan budget law I just signed keeps the government running, is an investment in the American people and strengthens our economy and national security. ”
– A year of chaos –
The last-minute maneuvers portray the chaos that prevails in the American Congress.
Over these 12 months, the institution removed one of the chambers' leaders, failed to reach an agreement on a new military aid package for Ukraine against the Russian offensive and narrowly avoided the collapse of the world's main economy. In the middle of an election year, this budget was the target of a long confrontation between Joe Biden's party and the Republicans.
White House and Congressional negotiators finally reached agreement on a text, revealed late Wednesday. But the proposal was immediately criticized by congressmen who support former Republican President Donald Trump (2017-2021), who will face Biden in the November elections.
Yesterday morning, the vote on the federal state budget in the Chamber of Representatives also had its share of emotion.
Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene presented a “motion” to remove the president of the House, also Republican Mike Johnson, whom she accuses of “betrayal of the American people”.
The announcement landed like a political bombshell in Washington, even though Greene did not set a timetable for the impeachment vote, which she later described as a “warning.”
The approval of budgets has generated tension in the United States. The list of possible consequences of a budgetary paralysis is long: military and transport security agents without pay, closed natural parks and frozen food aid, among others.
– Nothing for UNRWA –
This law will extend the US budget until the end of the fiscal year, September 30th. The 1,012-page text contains measures with strong repercussions abroad.
The text prohibits any direct funding from the United States to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which has been embroiled in controversy since Israel accused, in January, 12 of its 13,000 employees of being involved in the attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, in October 7, in Israeli territory.
The move was widely criticized by the left wing of the Democratic Party. Hundreds of millions of dollars are also allocated to Taiwan, but it does not unlock any assistance for Ukraine.
The bill contains measures related to immigration, an explosive issue in the presidential campaign that faces pressure from Republicans. It foresees, among other things, the hiring of tens of thousands of border agents.
Finally, it contains a series of measures, not necessarily linked to the budget, such as the ban on US embassies from flying the rainbow flag of the LGBTQIA+ community during “Pride Month”.
A text approved on March 9 has already made it possible to guarantee another part of the 2024 budget.
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