US Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, celebrates after meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 30, 2023. Last-gasp moves to prevent a US government shutdown took a dramatic step forward Saturday, as Democrats overwhelmingly backed an eleventh-hour Republican measure to keep federal funding going for 45 days, albeit with a freeze on aid to Ukraine. The stopgap proposal adopted by the House of Representatives with a vote of 335-91 was pitched by McCarthy. (Photo by Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)