On Tuesday, the House passed a bipartisan funding measure designed to keep the federal government operating past the November 3 midterm elections.
According to reports, the chamber voted 370-48 to forward the legislation to President Trump for his signature. This move guarantees funding through December 11, effectively preventing a shutdown just as voters prepare to head to the polls. Over 175 House Democrats backed the stopgap bill to extend government funding until that December deadline, as noted by the Washington Examiner.
While Democrats opposed a House Republican-led funding patch in July, they backed this Senate-approved measure for distinct reasons. Their support hinged on provisions prohibiting fund transfers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement beyond the limits Republicans authorized earlier in the year.
The legislation also boosts funding for programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. However, some Republicans opposed the bill because it would “cancel the ability for the administration to cancel these grants,” according to reports. Eric Burlison.
House Speaker Mike Johnson secured cross-aisle cooperation to pass this stopgap funding bill and avoid a shutdown. He utilized an expedited process requiring a two-thirds majority to advance the legislation quickly. Rep. Keith Self, who cast a vote against the stopgap measure, told reporters on Tuesday that leadership did not need his support.
The legislation postpones a rule that would have expanded the White House’s Office of Management and Budget authority over funding. House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole stated, “I do want to finish all the bills before the end of the year.” Whether that goal is achievable remains uncertain. He added, “We won’t know if we’ll be doing that till after the election.”
Cole observed that the election “has a tremendous impact” on how everyone calculates their next steps. The two parties remain at odds over the scope of federal spending, with Democrats rejecting Trump’s call for a massive $1.5 trillion military budget. This vote clears the most critical legislative item from Congress’s agenda before the elections.
