President Joe Biden signed legislation Friday to avoid a potentially catastrophic rail strike after Congress approved the measure this week.

Biden had pleaded with congressional lawmakers to act swiftly, warning of significant damage to supply chains that could threaten the U.S. economy just weeks before Christmas.

“I want to thank Congress — the Democrats and Republicans — for acting so quickly. I know this was a tough vote for members of both parties, it was a tough vote for me. But it was the right thing to do at the moment, to save jobs, to protect millions of working families from harm and disruption and to keep the supply chain stable around the holidays,” Biden said in remarks before he signed the bill into law.