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Shutdown vote heads to Trump
The U.S. House passed a short-term funding measure Tuesday to keep the federal government operating into early December, sending it to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
“The House passed the bill by a vote of 370-48.”
The bill passed the House by a vote of 370-48, after lawmakers acted before the fiscal year concludes at the end of September to avoid a funding lapse.
The Senate had already approved the measure overwhelmingly in early August, and the House vote pushed the stopgap forward as lawmakers campaign for reelection.
Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said the measure “gives the nation and our constituents certainty, certainty that the government will remain open, certainty that our service members will be paid.”
Border Patrol and grants
The stopgap funding bill includes changes that House Democrats said address how the Trump administration could move money, including preventing the Department of Homeland Security from transferring funds to the Border Patrol.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the lead Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said the bill was “much improved from the product that passed the House earlier this summer on a mostly party-line basis.”
DeLauro also said the Senate version delays a proposed rule that would give political appointees more authority to stop federal grants, while Democrats fear the administration could use the regulation to steer money away from Democratic-led states.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters in advance of the vote, “We’re going to avoid the threat of another Democratic shutdown,” as the House moved to avert another pre-election funding fight.
Next fight after midterms
With the House vote completed, the short-term measure now extends funding into December while lawmakers look toward a longer-term government funding deal after the midterm elections.
“The short-term measure funds federal agencies generally at current levels through Dec. 11.”
The Associated Press reported that the short-term bill “funds federal agencies generally at current levels through Dec. 11,” giving Congress time to find compromise on a full-year measure.
The sources describe a high-stakes bargaining environment, with Republicans seeking “hundreds of billions of dollars in additional spending for the military while cutting most non-defense programs,” while Democrats insist on a bipartisan approach that treats domestic programs with parity.
In parallel, the House is also positioned to act on other agenda items tied to the Ethics Committee’s recommendations, including a potential censure vote for Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., after the committee found he “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”