WASHINGTON — With just hours to go before a potential government shutdown, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a 45-day stop-gap measure.
As voted upon, and pending approval in the U.S. Senate, a government shutdown would be delayed through Nov. 17 as both chambers of the U.S. Congress work to keep the government funded and running.
The vote in the House would keep funding and spending by the federal government at its current levels while a new deal is reached.
While the vote passed with 335 votes for and 91 against, the Republican caucus members were split during the vote.
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Just one Democrat, Mike Quigley of Illinois, voted against the stop-gap, putting the Democratic vote at 209 to 1.
For Republicans, the split was less dramatic, with 126 to 90 to approve the stop-gap.
State-by-state, each congressional delegation was divided on whether or not to let the government shut down, including Georgia.
Of the Peach State’s 14 members of Congress, four Republican members voted to keep the government running along with their five Democrat colleagues, while the remaining five Republicans from Georgia voted against the stop-gap measure.
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Here’s how the vote went for U.S. Representatives from Georgia:
| Yes | No |
|---|---|
| Buddy Carter (R) | Rich McCormick (R) |
| Sanford Bishop (D) | Andrew Clyde (R) |
| Drew Ferguson (R) | Mike Collins (R) |
| Hank Johnson (D) | Barry Loudermilk (R) |
| Nikema Williams (D) | Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) |
| Lucy McBath (D) | |
| Austin Scott (R) | |
| Rick Allen (R) | |
| David Scott (D) |
“The bipartisan continuing resolution passed by the House today isn’t perfect, but it prevents a government shutdown for 45 days,” Rep. Austin Scott (R) said. “Congress will return to Washington on Monday to continue our work to pass responsible appropriations bills.”
Explaining her vote to avert a shutdown, Democratic Rep. Nikema Williams released a statement saying the Democratic Party had put people over politics to prevent a catastrophe in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Her statement reads in part:
“Passing legislation to keep the government open is one of the most fundamental jobs of Congress. That’s why I voted yes, to keep the federal government open for the American people and prevent food from being taken out of the mouths of women and children,” Williams wrote.
Should the government shut down due to the budget impasse in Congress, a large number of programs and workers would be forced to wait to reopen, or even get paid. In Georgia, that means national parks, government personnel, and other programs would have to close down or work without pay until funding returns.
The next step in the process to potentially avert a government shutdown is in the U.S. Senate.
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