House Democrats backed away from another government shutdown battle Tuesday, joining Republicans to approve a short-term spending bill that pushes the next funding showdown beyond November’s crucial midterm elections.
The successful House vote sends the continuing resolution (CR) to President Donald Trump’s desk and keeps the federal government funded through Dec. 11.
The measure passed on the House’s second attempt since July, ending months of uncertainty over whether Democrats would use government funding as leverage heading into an election that will determine control of Congress.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) ultimately supported the path away from a shutdown, giving House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) the Democrat votes he needed to move the legislation through the chamber.
But the bipartisan deal infuriated conservatives, who accused Senate negotiators of loading the House-passed measure with unrelated provisions before sending it back across the Capitol.
Conservatives Blast Senate Changes
The biggest objections from House conservatives centered on a 30-day delay to a congressionally approved ban on certain hemp products and a provision temporarily restricting the Trump administration’s efforts to exert greater control over federal grants.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) and other conservatives criticized both changes.
Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) said the Senate had badly damaged the House legislation.
“The Senate did violence to our bill,” Self said in a statement.
“Hemp and the grants are the two big ones…and frankly, I just don’t think CRs ought to be on suspension…when you put it on suspension, you’re not asking for my vote, okay, you’re going to get Democrats.”
Johnson brought the legislation up under suspension of the rules, a procedure that bypasses several normal procedural hurdles but requires a two-thirds majority rather than a simple majority for passage.
That meant Democrat support was necessary.
The federal grant provision does not permanently block the Trump administration’s proposed changes.
Senate Republicans were told by the administration that its effort to increase control over federal grants could be ready by the time the CR expires in December.
Democrats have opposed that effort, arguing it could give the administration greater power over which states receive federal money.
Shutdown Fight Pushed Beyond November Election
The legislation moves the next government funding deadline to Dec. 11, safely beyond the November midterms.
Fiscal year 2027 begins Oct. 1, meaning Congress will effectively postpone the larger spending battle until voters have already decided the balance of power on Capitol Hill.
Lawmakers will then have just over a month after the election to reach a broader agreement before the temporary funding measure expires.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) warned that the timetable is unlikely to be enough to finish the regular appropriations process.
Cole placed responsibility for the gridlock on Senate Democrats, accusing them of obstructing Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME) as she campaigns for re-election.
“They clearly do not want Susan Collins to have any success,” Cole said.
“So all of America has to suffer until they figure out who’s going to win in Maine.
“We’re going to risk a year-long CR, if not a shutdown.
“So they’ve just been incredibly irresponsible.”
The vote nevertheless gives Johnson an immediate victory by removing the threat of a pre-election shutdown and sending the funding measure to Trump for his signature.
It also means the larger spending confrontation has merely been postponed.
Instead of fighting over government funding in the final weeks of the midterm campaign, lawmakers will return to Washington after the election facing a Dec. 11 deadline, and another potentially bruising battle over how Washington spends taxpayer money.
