Senate passes stopgap to avert pre-election shutdown
The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill early Saturday that would keep the government funded through Dec. 11, moving Washington closer to avoiding another shutdown before the November midterms. Why it matters: The bipartisan 90-6 vote would push the next government funding deadline past Election Day while offering some checks on the Trump administration. State of play: The measure, which now…
The Senate narrowly endorsed a stopgap spending bill on Saturday, aiming to avert a possible pre-election government shutdown. With a 90-6 bipartisan vote, the measure would fund the government until December 11, sidestepping controversy ahead of the midterms. Now headed to the House for final approval, the bill retains current funding levels post-September 30, with a few negotiated deviations.
It obstructs the administration's plan to grant senior political appointees greater authority over federal grant reviews, avoids reallocating funds from other programs to the Border Patrol, rejects the White House's $1 billion proposal for new battleships, and postpones a ban on hemp products for a month. The grants provision may prove pivotal, reworking rules to require senior political appointees to consider whether discretionary grants align with the president's agenda.
The Senate labored through the night, voting on the funding measure, Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation, and a rejected voter ID bill. The vote demonstrates how both parties are keen to prevent another shutdown from dominating the election narrative. The next step involves the House approving the Senate's amendments after their August recess.
Should this occur, Washington will trade a potential pre-election shutdown for a possible post-election standoff in December over spending limits, Trump's grantmaking powers, and the remaining fiscal 2027 appropriations process.
Written by urgent.news from Axios's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
- US Senate approves funding bill to avoid a shutdown before election peopledaily.digital
