By Michael Deliberto
LSU AgCenter
After a week of drama, the Senate finally voted 85 to 11 to pass a spending bill to avoid federal government shutdown. The House of Representatives earlier had voted overwhelmingly to approve a short-term funding bill for the government that included nearly $31 billion in aid for farmers faced with natural disasters and economic challenges. The bill (H.R. 10545) was signed by President Joe Biden on December 21st .