A stopgap measure cleared both chambers and now heads to the president to keep federal agencies funded into early December, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate full-year spending amid partisan disputes.
Changes in the Senate version include limits on DHS fund transfers to Border Patrol and a delay of a proposed grants rule that concerned Democrats.
A full-year budget remains unresolved: Republicans seek significant defense increases while Democrats demand parity for domestic programs.
The House voted 370-48 to approve a short-term funding bill that extends federal funding at current levels through Dec. 11. The Senate already approved the same measure, so it now goes to President Donald Trump to be signed into law. The immediate aim is to avoid a funding lapse at the end of September that would coincide with the midterm campaign season.
Lawmakers cited last year's historic shutdowns as the reason to act before the campaign season intensified. Two shutdowns last year—one lasting 43 days over a dispute about a tax credit tied to Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage, and another that affected the Department of Homeland Security and ran 76 days—left members determined not to face a similar disruption while campaigning.
Senate amendments altered the House-passed version on at least two notable points:
Democratic leaders welcomed the delay on the grants rule but said further action will be required to permanently block the policy.
Republican leaders framed the vote as avoiding another Democratic-driven shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House succeeded in overcoming internal divisions to pass the measure and described the vote as doing the "grown-up thing." Rep. Tom Cole, Republican chair of the House Appropriations Committee, emphasized certainty for the public and for service members who would be paid under the continuing resolution.
What's next and the bigger budget fight
The continuing resolution buys time but not a long-term settlement. A full-year appropriations package remains unresolved and politically difficult. Republicans are pushing for hundreds of billions of dollars in increased military spending paired with cuts to most non-defense programs. Democrats have rejected that approach, insisting on a bipartisan allocation that treats domestic and defense programs with parity.
If signed, the bill will keep federal agencies operating at current funding levels through Dec. 11, preventing furloughs, service interruptions, and unpaid paychecks tied to a funding lapse at the end of September. It shifts the immediate budget showdowns into the fall and early winter as lawmakers work toward a full-year agreement.
The House passed a short-term measure Tuesday to fund the federal government into early December, a move designed to avoid a chaotic shutdown as lawmakers campaign for reelection.
The House passed a short-term measure Tuesday to fund the federal government into early December, a move designed to avoid a chaotic shutdown as lawmakers campaign for reelection.
WASHINGTON — The House passed a short-term measure Tuesday to fund the federal government into early December, a move designed to avoid a chaotic shutdown as lawmakers campaign for reelection.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a short-term measure Tuesday to fund the federal government into early December, a move designed to avoid a chaotic shutdown as lawmakers campaign for reelection. Lawmakers needed to act before the fiscal year concludes at the end of September to avoid a funding lapse. They were deter
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a short-term measure Tuesday to fund the federal government into early December, a move designed to avoid a chaotic shutdown as lawmakers campaign for reelection.
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