The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a short-term extension of the FY-2023 budget 3 days before the government was scheduled to shut down. The so-called Continuing Resolution (CR) was passed in a 336-95 vote. Two Democrats — Reps. Jake Auchincloss (Mass.) and Mike Quigley (Ill.) — and 93 Republicans opposed the bill. The CR has too been approved by the Senate, effectively eliminating the looming threat of a government shutdown.

The new CR proposed by House Speaker, Mike Johnson, has striking similarities with the CR that got former Speaker Kevin McCarthy ousted. It is a ‘clean’ CR meaning no spending cuts are attached to it  – it even included an extension of further funding to farmers through the end of September next year.

There is one important difference between the Johnson and McCarthy CRs – which Johnson made sure to highlight numerous times…