Senate Passes Short-Term Funding Bill to Avert Shutdown

Senators on the Appropriations Committee announced a short-term continuing resolution that would keep federal agencies operating through Dec. 11. The measure, voted on after a procedural vote on Monday night, includes adjustments for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, the Disaster Relief Fund and shipbuilding, and temporarily blocks the White House from altering the grant-approval process.

The Hill

Congress has struggled to pass the twelve annual appropriations bills before the fiscal-year deadline at the end of September, prompting two record-breaking shutdowns in the past ten months. Lawmakers moved early this summer to avoid a shutdown during the campaign season and before the August recess, a departure from the usual last-minute extensions. The bill follows a House-passed stopgap that lacked several exceptions sought by the administration, including a $1 billion request for “Trump-class” battleships.

Associated PressRoll Call

• Funding extension runs through Dec. 11.

The Hill

• The White House’s $1 billion battleship procurement request was omitted.

Roll Call

• The bill blocks the administration from transferring funds to the Border Patrol.

Associated Press

• The measure also contains “necessary adjustments” for WIC, disaster relief and shipbuilding programs.

The Hill

Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) praised the bipartisan agreement, noting it prevents the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed grant rule from taking effect. Vice-chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) thanked Murray for halting the grant-approval changes and described the measure as a “responsible path forward.” John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate Majority Leader, said passing the bill was his top priority before the August recess and warned that the American people have already endured two record-breaking shutdowns. A spokesperson for Thune’s office added that immediate passage would avert a costly shutdown.

The Hill

• “While Republicans rejected killing the proposed rule outright, I’m going to keep fighting to put a stop to it once and for all, and I will keep pressing my Republican colleagues to do exactly that,” — Sen. Patty Murray

Associated Press

• “Look, if I wanted a new billion-dollar thing, I would not be within my rights to demand it on a 60-day funding patch,” — Sen. Brian Schatz

Roll Call