Congress is one step closer to ending the longest government shutdown in American history. The Senate approved a funding bill by a 60 to 40 vote. The agreement includes funding for Defender Services, some of whom haven't been paid since July, and security for U.S. Supreme Court justices.
The Senate has passed and sent the package, which would fund the government through Jan. 30, over to the House with the goal of ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Private sector attorneys appointed under the Criminal Justice Act to supplement the work of federal public defenders have not been paid since July because funding ran out. Nov. 7 marked the first time federal defenders missed their paychecks because of the shutdown, which began Oct. 1.
The package would provide "for the payments of defender services, including [Criminal Justice Act] attorneys, and permits the apportionment of such amounts at a rate necessary to make payments to attorneys due under law," according to a bill summary provided by the Senate Appropriations Committee. "An anomaly was requested for this purpose by the Judicial Branch." An anomaly is a change to current funding levels.
The continuing resolution also would provide an additional $28 million for fiscal 2026 for the protection of Supreme Court justices.
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