The Senate voted 90 to 6 on Saturday to approve a continuing resolution that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 11, sending the measure to the House as the fiscal year deadline approaches.
The bill would extend government funding at current levels for six weeks beyond Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year, with some exceptions. CBS News reported that GOP leaders in the Senate pursued a bipartisan approach, recognizing that most legislation requires 60 votes to advance in the upper chamber.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, praised the stopgap measure for avoiding what she called "any poison pills." The bipartisan agreement was announced by top Republican and Democratic appropriators on Sunday. Among the wins Democrats claimed was a provision closing a loophole that had prevented the administration from transferring funds to Border Patrol.
What happens next in the House is uncertain. Before leaving for its August recess, the House passed its own continuing resolution, but that GOP-led bill passed with widespread Democratic opposition.
One provision in the Senate bill could cause particular trouble. The bill includes language to temporarily block political appointees from implementing a proposed rule about federal grants. Democrats have warned the rule would allow the administration to cancel grants and, in their words, "take even more federal funding hostage." They pushed for a permanent ban but settled for a temporary one. That temporary ban could still cost the bill Republican votes in the House.
If Speaker Mike Johnson takes up the Senate version, he may need Democratic support to pass it. Whether he pursues that course or pushes for a different bill remains unclear. The House is scheduled to return from recess on Aug. 31, leaving only weeks to act before the government runs out of money.
Both chambers have lived through two record-breaking government shutdowns in the past 12 months. With midterm elections approaching this fall, appetite for another funding lapse appears limited on both sides.
