Although there was a bipartisan agreement reached earlier this week on a two-year budget deal as part of the next short-term continuing resolution (CR), that did not mean that everyone was content. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a frequent critic of government spending, delayed the consideration of the measure on the Senate floor until after midnight, which meant that the CR that had been in place through last night had expired. The expiration of that CR officially led to a government shutdown. After he allowed the vote to proceed, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the CR by a vote of 71 – 28.
After Senate passage, the CR had to be sent back to the House, where there was more uncertainty about the level of support for it, with many Democrats concerned about the lack of an agreement on immigration and many hard-line conservatives wary of spending on domestic programs. Ultimately, the House also passed the CR early this morning, by a vote of 240-186.
The measure was signed by the president at about 9 AM this morning, ending the shutdown.