Washington — The Senate voted Saturday to pass a continuing resolution that would keep federal agencies funded through Dec. 11, sending the stopgap spending bill to the House as Congress tries to avert a government shutdown before this fall’s midterm elections.
The measure cleared the Senate in a lopsided 90-6 vote. It would extend government funding at current levels, with several exceptions, for six weeks beyond the Sept. 30 close of the fiscal year. The bill now heads to the House, where lawmakers have been moving along a different track.
Before departing Washington for its August recess, the House passed its own continuing resolution to fund the government into December. That GOP-led proposal, however, drew broad opposition from Democrats.
In the Senate, where most legislation needs 60 votes to advance, Republican leaders opted for a bipartisan strategy on the short-term funding extension, recognizing that Democratic support would be necessary.
The Senate’s top Republican and Democratic appropriators announced Sunday that they had reached a deal on the temporary spending bill. Democrats pointed to several provisions they viewed as victories, including language closing a loophole that had prevented the administration from shifting funds to Border Patrol after Democrats earlier this year declined to fund immigration enforcement agencies. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, praised the agreement for steering clear of “any poison pills.” Democrats had pushed for additional measures that might have jeopardized the bill’s chances.
Still, one element of the Senate bill could complicate its path in the House when lawmakers return later this month. The legislation includes a temporary block on political appointees in the administration carrying out a proposed rule involving federal grants. Democrats have warned the rule would let the administration cancel grants and “take even more federal funding hostage,” and they have pressed for a permanent prohibition. Even a temporary restriction, though, could cost the bill some Republican support.
If House Speaker Mike Johnson decides to take up the Senate-passed funding bill, Democratic votes could help push it across the finish line. Whether pressure from Republicans in his own conference leads him to choose another path is still unclear.
The Senate passed the measure while working through a crowded agenda ahead of a five-week August recess. The House is scheduled to return on Aug. 31, leaving lawmakers in the lower chamber only a few weeks to settle on a plan to keep the government open.
For the bulk of lawmakers, following two record breaking government shutdowns within the last 12 months, the appetite for another funding lapse appears low. And with the midterm elections quickly approaching, both sides of the aisle appear inclined to push off the fight for now.
