The House voted Tuesday to pass a short-term government funding bill, sending it to President Trump’s desk and ending months of speculation that Democrats would force a shutdown before the midterms.
The vote marks the second time since July that lawmakers have taken up such a measure. The continuing resolution (CR) punts government funding decisions until after the November election, with the new deadline set for Dec. 11. That gives Congress a little over a month to write a full federal budget for fiscal year 2027, which begins Oct. 1.
For months, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had been eyed as likely to use a shutdown as leverage ahead of the midterms. Instead, both backed off, clearing the way for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who needed Democratic votes to get the bill through, to claim a win.
Conservatives Say the Bill Was Watered Down
Not everyone on the right is celebrating. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., and other conservatives are angry over changes Senate negotiators added to the bill last month: a 30-day delay of a congressionally approved hemp product ban, and a provision limiting the Trump administration’s control over federal grants.
Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, didn’t hold back.
“The Senate did violence to our bill,” Self told Fox News Digital. “Hemp and the grants are the two big ones…and frankly, I just don’t think CRs ought to be on suspension…when you put it on suspension, you’re not asking for my vote, okay, you’re going to get Democrats.”
Passing a bill under “suspension” fast-tracks it past normal procedural hurdles, but raises the vote threshold from a simple majority to two-thirds. The grant provision Self objects to doesn’t kill the rule outright, and Senate Republicans say the administration has been assured a renewed push for grant control could be ready before the stopgap runs out in December. Democrats have argued the rule could otherwise be used to steer federal dollars based on politics rather than need.
A Month Isn’t Enough, Appropriator Warns
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., says the timeline Congress just gave itself isn’t realistic. He blamed Senate Democrats directly, accusing them of slow-walking the process to hurt Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, who faces re-election in November.
“They clearly do not want Susan Collins to have any success. So all of America has to suffer until they figure out who’s going to win in Maine,” Cole said. “We’re going to risk a year-long CR, if not a shutdown. So they’ve just been incredibly irresponsible.”
For now, the government stays open. But the fight over spending, grant authority, and the hemp ban has only been delayed — not resolved.
