US House passes funding bill to avert government shutdown before midterm elections - reuters.com

The United States House of Representatives has approved a temporary spending measure to keep the federal government funded through December 11, averting a potential government shutdown. The stopgap bill passed on Tuesday by a vote of 370 to 48. Having already cleared the Senate on August 8, the legislation now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature.

Lawmakers faced pressure to act before the current fiscal year ends in late September, as existing government funding was scheduled to expire on October 1. Under normal circumstances, Congress must pass 12 separate spending bills divided into categories such as defense, homeland security, energy, and housing to fully fund federal programs. However, Congress has not yet finalized these bills for the 2027 fiscal year, which runs through September 30, 2027. This stopgap measure, known as a continuing resolution, grants lawmakers more time to negotiate those full-year spending bills.

The successful vote removes the immediate threat of a government shutdown as lawmakers prepare for the midterm elections on November 3. These elections will decide which political party controls each chamber of Congress, a factor that will likely shape the upcoming budget negotiations. Government shutdowns are widely unpopular in the United States, and political analysts suggest that a shutdown occurring just before an election could damage the re-election chances of sitting lawmakers.

Both political parties were eager to avoid another disruption during the campaign season following a series of long shutdowns and funding standoffs over the past year. Republican Representative Tom Cole, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, stated that the stopgap measure would provide stability. He noted that the bill gives the nation and constituents certainty that the government will remain open and that service members will be paid.

Lawmakers were particularly wary of repeating the record 43-day shutdown that occurred last year after Republicans and Democrats disagreed over renewing a tax credit that reduces the cost of health coverage purchased through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. That dispute was followed by a 76-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which ended only after lawmakers agreed to fund much of the department while excluding its immigration enforcement operations. Both parties blamed each other for those previous funding lapses.