US House passes stopgap funding bill to avert government shutdown

Ahead of this year's midterm elections, congressional leaders are taking earlier-than-usual steps to avoid a government shutdown this fall.

Federal employees faced the longest government shutdown in history last year, followed by the longest partial shutdown, which impacted the Homeland Security Department. Both shutdowns led to federal workers missing paychecks.

House Passes Continuing Resolution

The House passed a continuing resolution on Tuesday that would keep the federal government funded through Dec. 4. The bill passed roughly along party lines in a vote of 220-205, with Republicans overwhelmingly voting in favor.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Tuesday that Republicans are looking to avoid a government shutdown ahead of "a very consequential midterm election."

"If the Democrats can't support this basic principle, then they alone are going to own the chaos that ensues if the government shuts down after September 30," Johnson said.

House Democratic leaders rejected the stopgap spending bill, calling it a "premature and desperate attempt by Republicans to abdicate their responsibility to govern while there are still several months left to negotiate a bipartisan agreement."

Congress hasn't passed a comprehensive spending deal on time in decades, and often passes a last-minute continuing resolution to continue deliberations.

Senate Efforts to Avoid Disruption

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Tuesday that Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, is working with Democrats on the committee to keep the federal government funded "past the November elections, so that we don't have the specter of a government shutdown."

"The disruption, the chaos that creates is just something that both sides ought to be willing to try and avoid. And so I think it's going to be really important that we figure out a path forward to get a bipartisan agreement to fund the government that will keep the government open and ensure that government employees are getting paid," Thune said.

Permanent Solution Under Consideration

Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee is revisiting legislation that would permanently eliminate the threat of government shutdowns.

The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, led by Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., would trigger an automatic two-week continuing resolution any time a lapse in congressional appropriations occurs. Lankford initially introduced a version of this bill in 2019 along with Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H.

The bill would require Congress and Office of Management and Budget staff to remain in Washington, D.C., until a spending deal is reached. The continuing resolution would remain in effect beyond the initial two weeks if lawmakers don't reach a deal by then.

Lankford told the committee that the bill puts the burden on Congress to reach a spending deal, and would no longer treat federal employees as a bargaining chip in these negotiations.

"Federal workers and their families should not suffer when Congress has not finished their appropriation work – but they do," Lankford said.

Lankford said his bill wouldn't result in a "perpetual CR," but would instead hold lawmakers accountable for reaching a bipartisan spending plan.

"If we have to be here every day, we will get our work done, because we will find a way to be able to solve the problem," he said.

Union Support

The American Federation of Government Employees supports the bill. AFGE National President Everett Kelley wrote in a letter to the committee that "there are no concrete signs that the regular appropriations process will advance spending measures that are enacted in time" to avoid a shutdown on Oct. 1.

"AFGE is growing increasingly concerned that for a second consecutive year federal agencies and departments that depend on annual appropriations will go unfunded, and federal workers unpaid," Kelley wrote.

Bipartisan Support in Committee

Several Republicans on the committee showed support for the bill. Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said government shutdowns should not "become an accepted norm in the appropriations process."

"Government shutdowns are reckless, and they do nothing other than create chaos and uncertainty," Cole said.

Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, chairman of the interior, environment and related agencies subcommittee, said the risk of government shutdowns must be addressed to prevent further harm to federal operations and employees.