Congress averts a government shutdown ahead of the midterms

The U.S. Capitol, with its tall white dome, is seen from Pennsylvania Avenue on August 30.

The U.S. Capitol is seen from Pennsylvania Avenue on Aug. 30. The House voted Tuesday to extend government funding past this fall’s midterm elections.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

Congress has eliminated the threat of a politically perilous government shutdown this fall.

The House voted Tuesday to extend federal spending at current levels, with a few exceptions, through Dec. 11, punting the funding fight until after the midterm elections.

Federal funding was set to run out again Sept. 30, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were eager to avoid a prolonged shutdown as voters head to the polls.

The legislation passed the House 370-48 with bipartisan support.

The Senate already easily passed the measure, known as a continuing resolution, in August. The White House encouraged lawmakers to support the stopgap, and President Trump is expected to sign it.

Congressional leaders turned to a short-term funding patch after bipartisan negotiations in the Senate to appropriate money for the next full fiscal year broke down.

House Speaker Mike Johnson stands behind a lectern with microphones attached to it as he addresses reporters during a news conference Tuesday. Representative Lisa McClain and Majority Leader Steve Scalise stand behind Johnson.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., addresses reporters as Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., look on during a news conference Tuesday ahead of the government funding vote.

Finn Gomez/Getty Images

Finn Gomez/Getty Images

This Congress has seen two record-long government shutdowns in the last year. Democrats withheld their votes first to pressure Republicans to extend expiring subsidies for health insurance premiums, prompting a 43-day shutdown that ended in November. A 76-day shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security came to a close in April after the Democratic Party tried to force legislation to rein in the tactics of federal immigration officers.

Lawmakers eventually voted to reopen the government, approving bipartisan appropriations bills covering each federal agency. Though the shutdowns elevated the debates over the cost of health insurance and Trump’s immigration crackdown on the national stage, Democrats were unable to extract concrete concessions despite the monthslong standoffs.

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