Senate Advances Bipartisan Stopgap Funding Bill Ahead of Midterms

The Senate voted 89-4 to invoke cloture on a motion to proceed with a continuing-resolution package that would keep the federal government funded at current levels through Dec. 11. The measure also blocks the Trump administration’s proposal to let political appointees make final decisions on scientific grants and, according to the Senate version, bars the transfer of funds to Border Patrol. Senate leaders hope to pass the bill before the chamber’s month-long recess, after which the House must consider it.

The HillNew York Times

Legislators have grappled with a series of funding impasses and two recent shutdowns, creating pressure to avoid another lapse before the upcoming midterm elections. The House previously approved its own stopgap bill that would fund the government only through Dec. 4 and did not contain the restrictions on the administration that Senate negotiators secured. The Senate’s action reflects a rare bipartisan effort amid a historically contentious appropriations environment.

The Hill

• Susan Collins – Republican of Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, championed the grant-granting restriction.

New York Times

• Chuck Schumer – Democratic leader of the Senate, advocated for a fully funded government.

New York Times

• Elizabeth Warren, Tim Kaine, Bernie Sanders – Democratic senators who voted against advancing the measure.

New York Times

• Rand Paul – Republican senator who also opposed the bill.

New York Times

• Vote tally: 89 in favor, 4 against.

New York Times

• Funding horizon: Maintains current spending levels through Dec. 11, extending the fiscal deadline by a week beyond the House’s Dec. 4 cutoff.

The Hill

• House-Senate alignment: The House’s earlier stopgap lacked the administration-blocking provisions that the Senate added.

The Hill

Democratic leaders praised the bill as a means to prevent a shutdown and to enforce oversight of executive spending.

The Hill

• “For months, Democrats have been clear: we want to fund the government, avoid a shutdown, and pass strong, bipartisan appropriations bills that improve people’s lives,” — Senator Chuck Schumer

New York Times