In the early hours of Saturday, the Senate approved a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills, marking a significant step nearly six months into the budget year and effectively postponing any risk of a government shutdown until the fall.

The bill now awaits President Joe Biden’s signature to become law.

The vote tally stood at 74-24. This decision came after funding for various agencies had expired at midnight.

However, shortly after the deadline, the White House issued a notice indicating that the Office of Management and Budget had halted shutdown preparations.

There was a high level of confidence that Congress would pass the legislation and that the president would sign it on Saturday, the Associated Press reported.

On Friday evening, the possibility of a short-term government shutdown had loomed as Republicans and Democrats clashed over proposed amendments to the bill.

Any successful amendments would have necessitated sending the legislation back to the House, which had already adjourned for a two-week recess.

Written by B.C. Begley