Biden administration backs House Republicans' three-month government funding bill

• The Biden administration announced its support for the latest government funding proposal, making any shutdown ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election unlikely.
• House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., introduced the new three-month funding bill on Sunday, after his original proposal failed to pass the GOP-controlled House.
• The appropriations bill would fund the government through Dec. 20, rather than March 2025, and does not include any part of the SAVE Act, a controversial voter ID bill.

The Biden administration on Tuesday announced its support for the latest short-term government funding proposal, greatly reducing the chances of a partial shutdown ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election.

In a statement from the Office of Management and Budget, the White House applauded the bill for giving Congress "more time to complete full-year funding bills later this year that deliver for America's national defense, veterans, seniors, children, and working families, and address urgent needs for the American people, including for communities recovering from disaster."

The statement was far from a ringing endorsement of House Speaker Mike Johnson's, R-La., proposal. The statement criticized congressional Republicans for not including additional funding for disaster relief, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration.

"The Administration is deeply disappointed that congressional Republicans continue to block critical funding requested by the Administration to avoid severe disruptions to several critical Government services, including effectively ceasing operations of the Small Business Administration disaster loan program later this fall," it said.

The White House also warned that it would oppose any