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Senate Government Funding Bill Gains Support as House Weighs Bipartisan Vote/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ A Senate-approved stopgap funding bill appears to be gaining support in the House as lawmakers seek to avoid a shutdown before the midterms. House Rules Chair Virginia Foxx predicted the measure could pass using an expedited procedure requiring a two-thirds majority. The bill would maintain most federal funding through Dec. 11 and temporarily block new Trump administration rules governing federal grants.

Quick Look

• The Senate passed its stopgap funding bill with overwhelming bipartisan support.
• The measure would generally fund the government at current levels through Dec. 11.
• House Rules Chair Virginia Foxx said she believes it could pass under suspension of the rules.
• That procedure requires a two-thirds majority and avoids a party-line procedural vote.
• The House previously approved a different measure extending funding through Dec. 4.
• Democrats largely opposed the House bill after being excluded from negotiations.
• The Senate plan temporarily blocks a disputed Trump administration policy on federal grants.
• The White House explicitly supports the Senate measure.
• Speaker Mike Johnson has not said whether he will bring it to the floor.
• Democratic appropriations leader Rosa DeLauro called it “a welcome improvement.”

Deep Look

Senate funding bill gains momentum in House

A Senate-approved stopgap spending measure is receiving a favorable initial response in the House, raising the possibility that Congress could postpone government funding negotiations until after the November midterm elections.

House Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx predicted Thursday that the Senate bill could win approval when House members return from their recess.

Her comments suggest House Republican leaders may abandon or modify their chamber’s previously approved funding approach in favor of the bipartisan Senate compromise.

Suspension procedure would require broad support

Foxx was referring to a procedure known as suspension of the rules.

The expedited process is usually reserved for legislation considered relatively noncontroversial. It limits debate, prevents amendments and allows the House to bypass the procedural rule normally used for major legislation.

A bill considered under suspension requires support from two-thirds of voting House members to pass.

Using the procedure would enable Republican leaders to avoid relying exclusively on their own narrow majority. It would also allow them to move the legislation with a coalition of Republicans and Democrats.

That could be important if conservative Republicans oppose the Senate agreement or object to provisions negotiated with Democrats.

Senate bill funds government through Dec. 11

Senators approved the measure before beginning their extended summer recess.

The bill received overwhelming bipartisan support and would generally continue existing federal funding levels through Dec. 11, with several negotiated exceptions.

The timeline would move the next major government funding deadline beyond the midterm elections.

Lawmakers could then return to broader spending negotiations without the immediate political pressure of campaigning and a possible shutdown occurring simultaneously.

The Senate bill also incorporates funding increases and authorizations requested by the Trump administration.

Measure temporarily blocks federal grant rule

One of the Senate bill’s most significant provisions would prevent the Trump administration from finalizing controversial regulations governing federal grants for the duration of the stopgap measure.

The administration’s proposal would give senior political appointees a larger role in reviewing grants before federal agencies award them.

Officials have said the policy is intended to ensure grants advance the president’s priorities and protect taxpayer money from waste or misuse.

Democrats and some Republicans worry that political appointees could use the process to deny grants to Democratic-led states, universities, nonprofit organizations or projects that conflict with the administration’s agenda.

The Senate agreement would prevent the rule from taking effect until at least the expiration of the temporary funding measure.

House approved a different stopgap bill

Before beginning its own summer recess, the House passed a separate short-term government funding proposal.

That measure would maintain federal funding through Dec. 4, one week less than the Senate bill.

House Democrats largely opposed it after Republicans excluded them from the negotiations.

Democrats also objected because the legislation lacked language preventing federal funds from supporting certain immigration enforcement operations.

Those concerns made the House bill more partisan than the Senate proposal and complicated its path through the other chamber.

Senate agreement could become inevitable compromise

Foxx’s willingness to consider the Senate bill may foreshadow an eventual compromise between the two chambers.

The House and Senate must approve identical legislative text before a funding bill can go to President Donald Trump for his signature.

With the chambers having passed competing measures, congressional leaders must decide whether to negotiate a new agreement or have one chamber accept the other’s bill.

The Senate measure’s overwhelming bipartisan vote, White House support and more favorable Democratic response could make it the easier option.

Passing it under suspension would allow the House to avoid a lengthy procedural dispute and send the legislation directly to Trump.

Midterm campaigns add urgency

Members of both parties are eager to remain in their districts as much as possible before the November elections.

A prolonged funding confrontation would force lawmakers back to Washington for negotiations and votes while they would prefer to be campaigning.

It could also produce a politically damaging government shutdown in the middle of election season.

Postponing the deadline until December would allow Congress to avoid that immediate risk and delay the most difficult spending decisions until voters have cast their ballots.

The shared desire to avoid an election-season crisis may provide enough incentive for members of both parties to support the Senate plan.

White House backs Senate measure

The Senate legislation has the Trump administration’s explicit endorsement.

Its inclusion of requested funding increases and authorizations helped secure White House support despite the temporary restriction on the federal grant regulations.

Presidential backing could persuade additional House Republicans to vote for the measure, particularly if Trump urges them to avoid a shutdown.

It also reduces the risk that Congress would approve a stopgap bill only to face a presidential veto.

The White House’s position gives the Senate proposal a major advantage over other possible compromises.

Johnson has not committed to a vote

It remains uncertain whether House Speaker Mike Johnson will bring the Senate bill to the floor.

A spokesperson for Johnson did not say Thursday whether the speaker would advance the measure through suspension of the rules or another procedure.

As speaker, Johnson controls the House floor schedule and must balance competing demands from Trump, conservative Republicans, moderate members and Democrats.

Allowing a vote under suspension could pass the bill with broad support but might anger conservatives who object to relying on Democratic votes.

Johnson’s decision will determine whether the momentum identified by Foxx translates into final congressional approval.

Top House Democrat signals support

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, indicated that she would probably help pass the Senate measure.

She called the legislation “a welcome improvement” over the stopgap bill approved by the House.

Her support could encourage other Democrats to provide the votes required to reach the two-thirds threshold under suspension.

Democratic backing would be especially important if a significant number of Republicans refuse to support the agreement.

The response suggests the Senate bill has the bipartisan coalition necessary for passage if Johnson allows it to reach the floor.

Congress moves closer to avoiding shutdown

The favorable reaction from Foxx and DeLauro indicates that Congress may be moving toward an agreement capable of preventing a government shutdown.

The Senate bill does not resolve the broader disputes over annual agency budgets, immigration enforcement or political oversight of federal grants.

It would instead preserve most current spending and create additional time for negotiations.

If the House accepts the Senate measure, Congress will shift the next funding confrontation to Dec. 11, leaving lawmakers to address the full-year budget after the midterm elections.

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