House Passes Spending Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown Before Midterms
- House of Representatives voted 370-48 to approve a short-term spending measure that prevents a federal government shutdown ahead of the November midterm elections.
- The newly passed legislation maintains federal spending at current levels through Dec.
- Top House Democrats backed the Senate measure after securing key policy adjustments, including a delay until Dec.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 370-48 to approve a short-term spending measure that prevents a federal government shutdown ahead of the November midterm elections. The continuing resolution, which cleared the Senate last month by an overwhelming margin, now heads to the desk of Donald Trump for his signature. Lawmakers would have had until the end of September to approve new funding or risk a government shutdown before the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the final two years of Trump’s presidency.
Funding Levels and Bipartisan Support
The newly passed legislation maintains federal spending at current levels through Dec. 11, according to reporting. A total of 19 Republicans and 29 Democrats voted against the measure, but the wide bipartisan margin ensured smooth passage as both political parties sought to avoid volatile fiscal disputes during active campaign season. In July, the House passed its own version of a continuing resolution that would have extended funding through Dec. 4. That earlier bill stalled because most Democrats rejected provisions funding immigration enforcement agencies without new conduct guardrails, and the Senate never took up the measure.
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Policy Tweaks and OMB Grant Rules
Top House Democrats backed the Senate measure after securing key policy adjustments, including a delay until Dec. 11 on a new White House Office of Management and Budget rule. Democrats had raised concerns that the directive would give the administration authority to cancel federal grants at any time for any reason.
Given that the objectives that we had were met, I think that there’s going to be broad bipartisan support,
Pete Aguilar, the Democratic caucus chair, told reporters ahead of the vote.
Political Context and Prior Shutdowns
The relatively quiet resolution of the annual budget debate arrives as politicians intensify campaigning for the Nov. 3 elections. Forecasters believe Democratic candidates have an edge in retaking the majority in the House of Representatives, while the minority may also be able to regain control of the Senate by winning seats in at least three states that voted for Trump two years ago. Previous legislative sessions featured prolonged funding disputes. Last year, Senate Democrats triggered the longest funding lapse in U.S. history by refusing to back spending bills that omitted subsidy extensions for Affordable Care Act health plans, an impasse that ended after 43 days without cost-offset agreements. Earlier this year, federal agencies experienced a brief shutdown after Democrats blocked Department of Homeland Security funding following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents during Minneapolis immigration operations. While that blockade ended, negotiations over DHS funding persisted for weeks until Republicans passed a party-line allocation for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection for the duration of Trump’s presidency.
