Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com

By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher

Washington, DC - Amid congressional bickering, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a funding bill on Friday that will avert a government shutdown, giving Americans a reprieve as the Christmas holiday nears.

The legislation passed by a vote of 366 in favor to 34 against with one member voting present. More Democrats voted to support it than Republicans.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to sail through before heading to President Biden's desk for his signature.

The passage of the bill follows a congressional vote on Thursday against H.R. 10515, failed GOP legislation that congressional Democrats say would have given President-elect Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, and radical Republicans a blank check to cut taxes for the wealthy while removing previously agreed-upon bipartisan provisions providing support for families in need and investments in health care, research, and agriculture.

This week, Congress reached a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to fund the government, prevent a shutdown, and address the critical needs of farmers, families, children, seniors, veterans, and the men and women in uniform. After Republican Speaker Mike Johnson released the bipartisan agreement, President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk forced House Republicans to back out of the bipartisan deal to fund the government and extend vital programs. A government shutdown still loomed.

Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown, a Warrensville Hts Democrat whose 11th congressional district includes the majority Black city of Cleveland, said that House Republicans undermined the very deal they negotiated, hastily bringing a new partisan proposal to the floor on Thursday. The legislation, which failed to pass the House, would have suspended the debt ceiling until January 2027, removing any fiscal checks on President-elect Trump's policies.  Friday's deal does not suspend the debt ceiling.

Blacks were among the marginalized groups affected by the partisan conflict as Republicans sought to eliminate SNAP benefits, and medical research for cancer, sickle cell, and a host of other life-threatening diseases.

"We reached a bipartisan agreement to fund the government and prevent a shutdown, securing vital support for farmers, families, seniors, veterans, and our men and women in uniform," said Rep. Brown in a statement on Thursday, after accusing House Republicans of undermining the very deal they struck with a new anti-Democratic proposal egged on by Donald Trump and his unelected billionaire co-president Elon Musk.

That GOP proposal failed via a congressional vote on Thursday and federal lawmakers later negotiated Friday's deal to avert a government shutdown. Brown voted for Friday's bipartisan deal.

Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com are the most-read Black digital newspaper and blog in Ohio. Tel. 216-659-0473. Email-editor@clevelandurbannews.com