President Trump signs temporary spending bill

Floodlights illuminate the U.S. Capitol dome in Washington, late Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Hours before the midnight deadline, President Trump signed a short term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. The Senate passed the measure on Thursday, days after it cleared the House.

The continuing resolution will fund the government through December 20th, giving lawmakers more time to iron out the details of a full budget. Talks have stalled amid disagreements over several issues, including funding for the border wall.
Vice President Mike Pence said the president was “forced” to sign the short-term bill because Congress “failed to do its job.” He slammed Democrat lawmakers on Thursday, saying they are more concerned with impeachment than “the American people.”

Today’s Continuing Resolution proves that Democrats in Congress care more about their partisan impeachment inquiry than the American people. President @realDonaldTrump and I will never stop putting America FIRST because that is what the people of our Nation deserve.

— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) November 21, 2019

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The Senate’s slow pace of passing legislation has been a major issue this year. Republican lawmakers are claiming the constant focus on impeaching the president has caused a stalemate in the Senate.
On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called on Democrats to pass legislation rather than focusing all their effort on the impeachment inquiry.
“There are things that we have to do that we’re are not making any progress on because of the impeachment obsession over in the House,” stated McConnell. “We have yet to reach a deal on spending — I thought we had an agreement this summer and they reneged on that.”

Washington Democrats in the House and the Senate cannot simply stop legislating because of one hearing in the House. The American people deserve progress: Funding for the national defense. Key legislation to support our armed forces. The USMCA and the new jobs it would create.

— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) November 14, 2019