Vote comes a day before the deadline fight
The House passed a short-term spending measure on Tuesday to fund the federal government into early December, a step designed to avoid a shutdown while lawmakers campaign for reelection. The vote was 370-48. The Senate has already approved the measure by a wide margin, so it now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature.
Lawmakers needed to act before the fiscal year ends on September 30. After a record 43-day shutdown last year, leaders in both parties said they did not want another funding lapse during campaign season.
Full-year bills still unfinished
The stopgap keeps the government open but does not settle the twelve annual appropriations bills. House appropriators say they have moved every FY27 bill through committee and passed three full-year measures on the floor. House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole said Senate Democrats have not allowed markups to progress on their side of the Capitol.
The continuing resolution preserves the House's work and gives negotiators more time. Even so, several agencies will run on last year's funding levels until a final deal is reached.
Other pressure points
Congress also faces unresolved questions about the cost of the war with Iran. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the conflict has cost more than $38 billion, mostly to replace munitions and equipment lost in battle. That figure does not include care for service members killed or injured, or longer-term effects.
Lawmakers are also moving slowly on artificial intelligence legislation, even as agencies press for rules on data centers, chips and automated systems. Staff on both sides say the calendar is the main obstacle: with elections in November and few working weeks left, most contested bills will wait.
Trump is expected to sign the funding measure within days, removing the immediate shutdown risk and pushing the next deadline past the election.