Senate Passes Short-Term Funding Bill Early Saturday to Avert Shutdown Ahead of Midterms

The Senate voted early Saturday morning to pass a short-term funding measure that would keep the federal government operating through December 11, removing the immediate threat of a shutdown before the November midterm elections.

Senators approved the continuing resolution 90-6 in a late-night session that stretched into the early hours of August 8. The bipartisan bill continues government funding at current levels until mid-December, with limited adjustments for certain programs including nutrition assistance such as WIC, housing and food aid, disaster relief, and national security needs.

Current funding authority expires on September 30. By acting nearly two months in advance, lawmakers sought to avoid a high-stakes spending fight in the weeks leading up to the November 3 elections. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, described the measure as “a major step toward averting a damaging shutdown that only harms vital programs and federal workers.” Ranking Democrat Patty Murray of Washington called it a positive step that would allow fuller negotiations after the elections.

A key provision temporarily blocks a White House Office of Management and Budget rule that would expand political appointees’ authority over the distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal grants. Democrats and some Republicans, including Collins, had insisted on the language, arguing the rule risked politicizing grant decisions. The Senate version also includes safeguards against certain fund transfers and other targeted anomalies negotiated with the administration.

The House passed a different short-term funding bill last month that would have extended authority only until early December and lacked some of the Senate’s protections. The two chambers must reconcile their differences and send identical legislation to President Donald Trump for his signature before September 30. The House remains on recess until late August or early September, meaning final action is unlikely until members return.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune advanced the measure as part of wrapping up business before the chamber’s five-week August recess. The strong bipartisan margin reflected a shared desire to sidestep the political risks of another funding lapse after previous shutdowns earlier in the fiscal year.

The continuing resolution does not resolve longer-term appropriations for the full fiscal year. Instead, it buys time for Congress to return after the midterms and negotiate more comprehensive spending bills. With the Senate having cleared the stopgap, attention now shifts to whether the House will accept the Senate’s version or demand further changes when it reconvenes.