US House approves funding extension, avoiding shutdown before midterms
Developing story first seen 2 hours ago
The US House of Representatives has passed a stopgap funding bill to keep the government running, sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature and averting a shutdown just weeks before the November midterm elections. The bill's passage, the second such attempt since July, came after House and Senate Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer dropped threats to force a shutdown for political leverage, handing a win to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who needed Democratic votes to get the measure through. However, the deal has provoked anger among House conservatives, who object to Senate-added provisions delaying a hemp product ban by 30 days and curbing the Trump administration's control over federal grants.
The continuing resolution pushes the funding deadline to 11 December, giving Congress just over a month to agree a full budget for the 2027 fiscal year, which begins on 1 October. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole warned this timeframe is insufficient and accused Senate Democrats of deliberately stalling to damage Senator Susan Collins' re-election prospects in Maine, raising the risk of a year-long stopgap or a future shutdown. Republicans including Andy Harris and Keith Self criticised the bill's passage under "suspension" rules, which required a two-thirds majority and relied on Democratic support, arguing the Senate had significantly altered the House's original version.
- House passed the stopgap bill, sending it to Trump's desk
- New funding deadline set for 11 December 2026
- GOP conservatives angry over hemp ban delay and grants provision
New here? Start with this
Every year, the US Congress has to approve funding to keep federal government agencies and services running. When lawmakers cannot agree on a full-year budget in time, they sometimes pass a short-term measure known as a continuing resolution, which keeps existing funding levels in place temporarily. If no such bill passes, parts of the government are forced to shut down, meaning many federal workers are furloughed and some public services are disrupted.
The key figures in this story are Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who needs enough votes to pass funding legislation, and Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries in the House and Chuck Schumer in the Senate, who have at times used the threat of blocking funding as leverage over policy disputes. President Donald Trump must ultimately sign any funding bill into law. Other names likely to come up include Tom Cole, who chairs the House committee responsible for allocating federal spending, and Susan Collins, a senator facing re-election.
This issue matters because a government shutdown can affect millions of people, from federal employees going unpaid to delays in public services, and because funding fights often reveal deeper divisions both between and within the two main parties over spending priorities. The timing is also significant, as funding deadlines are colliding with the run-up to the November midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the deal argue that keeping the government funded is a basic responsibility of Congress, sparing federal workers, contractors and the public the disruption of a shutdown just weeks before an election. They see the bipartisan compromise, including the Senate's additions delaying the hemp ban and reining in executive control over federal grants, as a reasonable exercise of Congress's power of the purse and a sign that negotiation between the parties can still function. For them, Speaker Johnson's willingness to accept Democratic votes to get the bill through, even under suspension rules, reflects pragmatic leadership that puts stability ahead of factional purity.
The case against
Critics, particularly House conservatives, argue that the bill represents a capitulation that lets the Senate rewrite the House's fiscal priorities and forces passage through a two-thirds-majority suspension vote reliant on Democratic support rather than the chamber's elected majority. They view the added provisions on hemp products and grant oversight as unwarranted constraints on the administration's authority, and see the compressed timetable to 11 December as setting up another cliffhanger, potentially harming Republicans such as Senator Collins, rather than delivering a genuine budget resolution. For them, this outcome rewards delay tactics and procedural manoeuvring at the expense of a Congress genuinely accountable to voters.
Coverage
- Daily Mail — Government shutdown AVERTED after House passes stopgap funding bill… kicking spending fight until after the midterm elections
- Fox News — Democrats blink in shutdown fight, hand Trump and GOP win before midterms