Washington Averts Government Shutdown with Spending Bill Deal

Congress passed, and President Trump signed, bills allocating $1.4 trillion across the federal government for fiscal year 2020, averting a pre-holiday government shutdown.

The 2020 budget includes $738 billion to the military and $632 billion to non-defense agencies, an increase of $22 billion and $27 billion, respectively, from fiscal 2019. As part of the deal, Democrats agreed to provide $1.4 billion for physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border, long a sticking point in the discussions and far less than the $8.6 billion Trump requested.

Republicans lauded the big increase in military spending, while Democrats pointed to wins in providing record funding levels for the National Institutes of Health, as well as dramatic boosts in funding to address the nation’s opioid crisis and pay for the 2020 Census.