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Government shutdown is averted after House of Representatives vote to pass stopgap funding bill after Trump Administration prevails in fight over funding for cash-strapped farmers

  A government shutdown has been averted after the House of Representatives passed a temporary funding bill, shortly after President Donald ...

 A government shutdown has been averted after the House of Representatives passed a temporary funding bill, shortly after President Donald Trump prevailed in a fight over his farm bailout.

House members voted 359-57 to approve the bill on Tuesday night, which will keep federal agencies fully up and running into December.   

The vote came after considerable behind-the-scenes battling over proposed add-ons, with the final agreement now giving the Trump Administration immediate authority to dole out Agriculture Department subsidies in the run-up to Election Day. 

'It's a big deal. This is cash flow to mom and pop businesses all over rural America,' said Texas Rep. Michael Conaway, top Republican on the House Agriculture Committee. '

On Monday, Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparked furor among Republicans and farm-state Democrats when she initially proposed a bill that excluded the financing for cash-stricken farmers. 

A government shutdown has been averted after the House of Representatives passed a temporary government-wide funding bill, shortly after President Donald Trump prevailed in a fight over his farm bailout
The bill includes funding for farmers - a win for the Trump Administration

A government shutdown has been averted after the House of Representatives passed a temporary government-wide funding bill, shortly after President Donald Trump prevailed in a fight over his farm bailout.. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) and President Trump (right)

It became apparent that Pelosi did not have the votes to pass it. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dismissed it as a 'rough draft', and negotiations continued.

Democrats have that the Trump administration has favored southern states such as Georgia - a key swing state and home of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. 

However, farmers are suffering from low commodity prices and the effects of higher tariffs imposed by President Trump. The Commander-in-chief announced a new $13 billion allotment of bailout funding at a political rally in Wisconsin last week.


In talks Tuesday, Pelosi restored the farm aid funding patch sought by the Trump Administration. 

In return, Pelosi won COVID-related food aid for the poor, including an extension of a higher food benefit for families whose children are unable to receive free or reduced lunches because schools are closed over the coronavirus. 

Another add-on would permit states to remove hurdles to food stamps and nutrition aid to low-income mothers that are more difficult to clear during the pandemic.

The passing of the bill averts a possible government shutdown. The last government shutdown, which stretched 35 days from December 22, 2018 until January 25, 2019 was the longest in US history

The passing of the bill averts a possible government shutdown. The last government shutdown, which stretched 35 days from December 22, 2018 until January 25, 2019 was the longest in US history 

The  stopgap funding bill also extends many programs whose funding or authorizations lapse on September 30, including the federal flood insurance program, highway and transit programs, and a long set of extensions of various health programs, such as a provision to prevent Medicaid cuts to hospitals that serve many poor people.

The underlying stopgap measure deals with the 30 percent of the federal government's day-to-day budget that goes to Cabinet agency operations funded by Congress each year.  

The bill came after bipartisan negotiations on a huge COVID-19 relief package imploded and appear unlikely to be rekindled - especially since the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has upended U.S. politics. 

'We need to keep the government open but we also need additional COVID relief for the American people,' Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz 

In the bill, Pelosi won COVID-related food aid for the poor, including an extension of a higher food benefit for families whose children are unable to receive free or reduced lunches because schools are closed over the coronavirus

In the bill, Pelosi won COVID-related food aid for the poor, including an extension of a higher food benefit for families whose children are unable to receive free or reduced lunches because schools are closed over the coronavirus

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