House Approves Continuing Resolution to Avert October Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON — The House has approved a continuing resolution that extends federal funding through December 11, successfully preventing a government shutdown as the midterm elections approach.

The measure passed with a decisive 370-48 vote, comfortably clearing the two-thirds majority threshold required for expedited passage under a suspension of the rules.

Originally crafted through a bipartisan agreement in the Senate, which approved the legislation in August, the bill now heads to the desk of President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law.

For the Department of Defense, the continuing resolution ensures that existing weapons programs can be maintained at fiscal 2026 funding levels. It also prevents federal civilian employee furloughs and guarantees that troops continue to receive their pay.

“This clean, short-term continuing resolution simply keeps the government open, protects the progress we’ve made, and preserves the path to full-year appropriations,” stated House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) during a floor speech today.

“The bill protects our national security, providing funding for our armed forces and security agencies, as well as crucial authorities for core research and development programs to ensure our military remains the best armed and equipped services in the world,” Cole added.

During a morning press conference, House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar anticipated “broad bipartisan support” for the legislation. He noted that Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, had urged her colleagues to support the resolution during an earlier caucus meeting.

Rep. Betty McCollum, the ranking member of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, commended the bill for omitting funding for the war in Iran.

“I am very proud that this bill for the CR does not have funding that the president requested in his supplemental for the war in Iran, which was his war of choice,” McCollum stated on the House floor prior to the vote.

Additionally, the legislation excludes the majority of the anomalies—special funding exemptions—requested by the White House on behalf of the Pentagon. The unfunded anomalies include:

• $1 billion designated for the Trump-class battleship, intended to initiate advanced procurement of its nuclear propulsion system, according to a White House list provided to Congress.
• Provisions that would have allowed the Pentagon to obligate funds for five vital munitions programs: the Patriot system’s PAC-3 interceptor, the Tomahawk cruise missile, AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, and two variants of the Standard Missile-3. The White House previously cautioned that the department “may incur cancellation liabilities on multi-year procurement contracts if it does not order the negotiated production quantities.”
• Language to exempt funding granted in last year’s reconciliation bill from sequestration, or automatic spending cuts. Without this exemption, the White House estimated that approximately 8 percent of the unobligated reconciliation funds would become unavailable at the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1.

Instead of these anomalies, the bill retains the standard boilerplate language typically found in continuing resolutions, which prohibits the use of funds to initiate new programs or multiyear procurement contracts.

Source link