House Passes Stopgap Bill to Avert Government Shutdown Before Midterms

House lawmakers passed a stopgap bill on Tuesday, narrowly avoiding a government shutdown before the midterm elections.

This short-term spending measure guarantees federal government operations remain funded through Dec. 4, extending well beyond the Sept. 30 deadline and the Nov. 3 elections.

The continuing resolution cleared the House with a vote tally of 2020-205.

Six Democrats defied party lines, joining Republicans in support of the bill: Reps. Kathy Castor, Henry Cuellar, Don Davis, Jared Golden, Vicente Gonzalez, and Gabe Vasquez.

Rep. Thomas Massie stood alone among Republicans, casting the only dissenting vote against the legislation.

The bill now moves to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader John Thune is anticipated to schedule a vote before senators embark on a month-long recess in August.

House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Democrats for opposing the funding extension, suggesting they perceive a government shutdown as politically advantageous ahead of the pivotal fall elections.

“House Republicans today took the responsible step of passing a clean, short-term continuing resolution to fund our government through the November elections. Sadly, and predictably, 204 House Democrats voted against this measure,” Johnson stated on X.

He further accused Democrats of orchestrating two of the longest government shutdowns in U.S. history during this Congress, asserting they disregard the impact on American citizens and federal workers who would be forced to work without pay.

“While time remains until the end of the fiscal year, Republicans are under no illusions about the Democrat Party’s intentions heading into a consequential midterm election,” he added. “They apparently believe a painful government shutdown would help them politically. We hope they will come to their senses before the government shuts down, but if they don’t, then Democrats alone will own the chaos that results.”

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the leading Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, expressed her opposition to the continuing resolution due to its failure to uphold a previous agreement that restricted funding for Border Patrol.

DeLauro criticized the bill for not maintaining that agreement, stating it allows the Trump administration to utilize billions from this funding for Border Patrol without implementing significant reforms to its operations.

“It’s a clear line in the sand that Democrats have drawn for months,” she concluded.