Government Funding Fight Pushed Past the Midterms: Deadline Is Dec. 11
Congress passed a stopgap 370-48 and left town; Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole warns of "crunch time" and a possible December shutdown.
Washington has again chosen to punt. The House passed a short-term bipartisan funding measure on September 1 by a vote of 370-48, extending government funding past the September 30 expiration to December 11, more than a month after the November midterms, according to CBS News. The bill needed two-thirds support under fast-track rules. The Senate had approved its version in early August before a five-week recess. The date of this reporting is outside our usual two-week window; we include it because the December 11 deadline now frames every budget story this fall.
Congress is out for nearly all of October so members can campaign. The House Appropriations Committee has advanced all 12 annual spending bills since April, and three have passed the full House, but none has cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Republican leaders said they want a longer-term deal. Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole of Oklahoma blamed Senate Democrats, saying the Senate "has not passed a single bill," and suggested a yearlong stopgap or a shutdown in December, adding, "We're going to be in a crunch time."
Democrats extracted concessions in the Senate bill, including closing what they said was a loophole letting the administration move funds to Border Patrol and temporarily barring political appointees from canceling federal grants. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on House Appropriations, encouraged her party to back the stopgap, according to Representative Pete Aguilar.
Why it matters: a December 11 deadline lands in the lame-duck session, when members who lost in November may be voting on a spending package that will fund the government for the next year. Whether Congress passes 12 bills, a mega-package, or another stopgap will tell taxpayers how seriously it takes the budget it has not passed in years.
We will update this page if Congress returns early or the deadline changes.
Facts above are attributed to the linked reporting. Statements in a source's own opinion section are labeled as commentary. We correct errors promptly.
More from this section
Midterms 16 Days Out: Senate Ratings Show a 47-47 Split With Toss-Ups Deciding Control
Fox News ratings put Democrats needing a net gain of four seats; Trump frames the vote as a referendum on his second term.
Republicans Break With Trump Over 60-Day Russia Sanctions Waiver
Cruz and Haley criticized the move, McCaul urged a reversal, and Rubio defended it as an energy-market measure.
Supreme Court Opens New Term With Climate Liability, Immigration, and Transgender Policy on the Docket
SCOTUSblog reports an immigration-heavy term and a pending emergency request over Bureau of Prisons transgender inmate care.