WASHINGTON – The House is expected to vote as early as Sept. 1 on spending legislation to keep the government funded into December and avoid a potential shutdown before the Nov. 3 midterm election.
Congress needs to approve some sort of funding bill before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. Disputes with the Trump administration led to three funding lapses during the last year, including a 43-day partial shutdown
.But lawmakers of both parties are eager to avoid another impasse and would prefer to get back to their districts to campaign before the election. The Senate voted 90-6 in August to extend government funding to Dec. 11.
“The first thing is we’ve got to do is make sure the government is funded,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, told
reporters Aug. 31.
The House is expected to consider the measure under a parliamentary maneuver that allows no amendments and requires a two-thirds majority for approval. But rather than placing a higher hurdle on the bill, the maneuver is considered a sign of its popularity as a temporary stopgap.
"President Trump strongly opposes another futile Government shutdown," the White House said in a statement supporting the Senate measure. "Every Member of Congress should support passage of this (bill) to keep the Government open as discussions on full year appropriations continue."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, called it "a strong bipartisan piece of legislation." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, called it "a responsible path forward."
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who heads the Appropriations Committee, said the temporary funding extension would give lawmakers the time to approve detailed spending legislation.
"It is so important that Congress not abrogate its power of the purse − our constitutional responsibility," Collins said.
Collins said the legislation keeps government funding steady with a few exceptions. The bill makes adjustments for the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, allows Agriculture Department loans to operate uninterrupted for lack of a separate farm bill and allows the Department of Housing and Urban Development to maintain assistance for thousands of families, she said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster funding and the Forest Service's wildfire suppression efforts will have full funding, she said.
Congress also faces fall deadlines for transportation legislation and a farm bill. A top priority for President Donald Trump is legislation that would require documentation of citizenship to register to vote and identification to cast a ballot and place limits on voting by mail, and also halt transgender surgery for minors and bar transgender athletes in women’s sports.
Republican senators have said they don’t have the votes to overcome a filibuster against Trump’s voting legislation.
As lawmakers look increasingly toward campaigning, Trump and Vice President JD Vance are expected to speak at the first midterm convention for the Republican National Committee in Dallas on Sept. 9 and 10.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House to vote on funding to avoid government shutdown before Election Day
