US House passes stopgap funding bill to avert shutdown before midterm elections

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a stopgap funding bill to keep the federal government funded through December 4, seeking to reduce the risk of a government shutdown ahead of this fall's crucial midterm elections, according to the Associated Press.

The measure cleared the House by a largely party-line vote of 220-205 and now moves to the Senate. The temporary funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, would generally maintain federal agencies at current spending levels until early December, AP reported.

House Republican leaders advanced the legislation more than two months before the September 30 funding deadline, an unusually early move as Congress typically passes temporary funding measures only days or even hours before the fiscal year expires.


According to AP, House Speaker Mike Johnson challenged Democrats to support the bill, arguing that opposing it would leave them responsible for any government shutdown if funding lapses after September 30.

Republican leaders said the early passage reflects the House's limited legislative calendar. After lawmakers leave Washington this week for the August recess, the chamber is scheduled to be in session for only 16 more days before the funding deadline.

The move is also intended to free up floor time for another Republican priority: a proposed $95 billion package that would increase defense spending, provide aid to farmers and advance parts of President Donald Trump's election overhaul agenda, AP reported.

Republicans argued that extending funding through early December would help avoid another prolonged funding standoff. They pointed to previous shutdowns during the current Congress and said a temporary extension would provide lawmakers more time to complete work on the 12 annual appropriations bills.

Democrats, however, overwhelmingly opposed the legislation. According to AP, they criticized Republican leaders for introducing the measure without bipartisan negotiations and argued that it denied them an opportunity to include provisions addressing several policy priorities, including proposed changes to federal grant rules.

Republicans maintained that work on the annual spending bills would continue over the coming months while the continuing resolution would ensure uninterrupted government operations in the interim.

Some conservative Republicans also backed the temporary measure, saying that holding spending at current levels for a limited period was preferable to approving additional government expenditures, AP reported.