Congress shutdown ends with Trump holding the final card before midterms

WASHINGTON, DC: The House passed a bill Tuesday, September 1, to extend government funding through December 11, clearing the way to avert a shutdown before the midterm elections.

The measure now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature. 

By extending funding beyond the September 30 deadline, lawmakers have removed the immediate shutdown threat as Congress turns toward the November elections, when control of the House and Senate will be contested.

House clears Senate funding measure

House lawmakers voted on the Senate’s version of a short-term government funding bill that the chamber passed last month before leaving Washington for its August recess.

The measure extends federal funding through December 11 rather than allowing current funding to expire at the end of September.

The legislation passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, allowing lawmakers to leave Washington and return to campaigning ahead of the midterms.

Senate version reshapes spending fight

The Senate measure differs from an earlier funding extension approved by the House. That proposal would have kept the government funded through December 4.

The Senate version does not include additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection, which have already been funded through the end of Trump’s term.

It also includes a temporary block on a proposed administration rule that critics have warned could further politicize federal grants. 

Trump receives the final decision

With the House approving the Senate’s version, the legislation now moves to Trump. 

His signature would extend government operations through December 11 and push the next funding deadline beyond the November elections.

The move gives lawmakers additional time to negotiate the government’s longer-term funding while removing the September 30 deadline from the immediate political calendar.

Government funding has been a recurring point of conflict in the current Congress, which holds the record for the longest shutdown in US history. 

Tuesday’s vote passed with little fanfare as lawmakers prepare to return to the campaign trail.

Americans get shutdown relief for now

The immediate effect for Americans is that the federal government has a path to remain funded beyond September 30.

Federal agencies will have additional time before lawmakers face another funding deadline.

The legislation does not resolve the broader disagreements over government spending or the provisions contained in individual funding bills.

Those negotiations will continue after the temporary extension.

For now, however, the shutdown threat has been pushed beyond the midterm elections, leaving Trump with the final decision on whether to sign the measure.