House Passes Stopgap Spending Bill to Avert Shutdown

The House of Representatives on Nov. 14 passed a stop-gap spending bill to continue government funding in two stages through Feb. 2. 209 Democrats joined 127 Republicans to pass the measure in a vote of 336-95. It was opposed by 93 Republicans and two Democrats. The bipartisan passage produced a major win for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), whose predecessor was ousted after passing a similar bill in September. The bill was considered under a suspension of rules, meaning that it required a two-thirds majority to pass. That tactic was an apparent attempt to avoid having the bill torpedoed during a procedural vote that would otherwise have been required....