US Senate averts shutdown before Midterms, curbs Trump on Border Patrol funds, delays Hemp ban

The US Senate avoided a government shutdown before the midterm elections by passing a stopgap spending bill on August 8, 2023. The 90-6 vote, with one member voting present, extended current funding levels beyond the original deadline of September 30. The bill also prohibited the Trump administration from redirecting funds towards Border Patrol, a condition Democrats had insisted on.

While the House's approval of the agreement remains uncertain, party members reportedly share the same reluctance to risk a shutdown before November. Senate Republican leadership added a delay to a ban on intoxicating hemp products, inserted at the White House's request, to the stopgap legislation. This provision, which benefits a company run by Trump's chief of staff's son-in-law, was approved by a 61-32 vote, despite efforts from some Republican senators to strip it out.