US House Passes Stopgap Funding Bill to Avert Pre-Election Shutdown

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a short-term spending measure to fund the federal government through December 11, a move aimed at preventing a shutdown during the election season. The bill passed with a bipartisan vote of 370-48, following the Senate's earlier overwhelming approval. It now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature.

Lawmakers acted ahead of the September 30 end of the fiscal year, mindful of the political fallout from recent prolonged shutdowns. A record 43-day closure last fall stemmed from a dispute over an expiring health insurance tax credit, followed by a 76-day partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security over immigration enforcement funding.

House Speaker Mike Johnson framed the vote as avoiding a "Democratic shutdown," while House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole emphasized the certainty the measure provides for government operations and military pay. Democratic Appropriations lead Rosa DeLauro urged her colleagues to support the bill, noting improvements over an earlier House version, including restrictions on transferring funds to the Border Patrol and a delay in a rule that would give political appointees more authority over federal grants.

DeLauro warned that the proposed grant rule could divert disaster relief away from Democratic-led communities, saying, "Whether a community receives disaster relief should not depend on who they voted for in the last election." The stopgap keeps agencies at current funding levels, giving lawmakers time to negotiate a full-year budget, though deep partisan divisions remain over military versus domestic spending priorities.