US House passes stopgap funding bill to avert shutdown before midterms
The action deadline is more than two months away, but House GOP leaders aren’t leaving to chance another possible shutdown that would sour the mood of voters shortly before they head to the polls. House Speaker Mike Johnson encouraged Democrats to vote against the bill, saying if they do, “they alone will own the chaos that will ensue if there is a government shutdown after September 30.”
The House passed the measure by a mostly party-line vote of 220 to 205.
It’s highly unusual for Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill months before the end of the fiscal year. Lawmakers normally act only days, or even hours, before the deadline. But after lawmakers leave town this week, the Legislature is scheduled to be in session for just 16 more days before the funding deadline.
GOP leadership is laying the groundwork to spend much of that time on another priority: a long-shot, party-driven bill that would spend $95 billion to strengthen defense, help farmers and ensure parts of President Donald Trump’s election overhaul bill are signed into law.
“Due to the amount of harm being done to American citizens, I think it is wise to go ahead and take the potential chaos of a shutdown off the table,” said Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga. He said he believed the shutdown would “work to the advantage of Democrats politically” and blamed the press for such a scenario.
Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the stopgap measure, which would generally fund agencies at current spending levels. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said the legislation was left to Democrats on Friday without any bipartisan discussion. He said Democrats would push for provisions that would, among other priorities, reverse a proposed federal rule that would allow agency heads to block or terminate grants they argue do not match the president’s priorities.
Instead of a bipartisan agreement, he said, “we’re trying to put in place a unilateral stopgap measure two days before everyone goes on August vacation.”
Republicans said work on a dozen annual spending bills will continue in the coming months, but funding the government through Dec. 4 could help lawmakers avoid a repeat of last year, when the country experienced the longest federal shutdown in history, followed by the longest partial shutdown in history.
“We’ve seen this happen twice already in this Congress,” said Rep. Tom Cole, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “If we can avoid this, I’m not prepared to risk it a third time.”
Some of the more conservative Republican lawmakers welcomed the bill to extend funding through Dec. 4, known as a continuing resolution.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said it’s “the best way to spend the least amount of money” in this environment. “You keep spending levels steady, at least for a while.”
It is unclear whether the Senate will join the bill. Spending bills need the support of 60 senators to advance to a final vote, so some Democrats will need to support it. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters that Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins is working with Democrats on the committee to “find a path forward.”
