House Passes Stopgap Bill, Puts Government Shutdown on Brink

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 - The Republican-controlled House approved a seven-week continuing resolution Friday to fund federal agencies through Nov. 21, sending the measure to the Senate where it faces near-certain defeat and heightening the risk of a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

Congressional Republicans argued their “clean” bill keeps current funding levels intact and provides additional security funding for lawmakers and senior officials, but Democrats vowed to block it without a seat at the negotiating table.

Deadlock Deepens Ahead of Deadline

With a narrow 219-213 majority in the House, GOP leaders secured passage by a 217-212 vote, overridden only by Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine) joining Republicans and two hard-line GOP defectors opposing the legislation. Senate Democrats immediately signaled they will filibuster the bill, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) confirmed that the Senate will first vote on the Democratic alternative before taking up the House measure, with neither garnering the 60 votes needed to advance.

Recess Threatens Final Push

Both chambers are scheduled to depart Washington for a weeklong recess, returning just days before the Sept. 30 funding expiration. House leadership has floated delaying the reconvening until Oct. 1 to force Senate action, while Senate GOP leaders plan to reintroduce the bill closer to the deadline to compel a vote.

Stakes and Next Steps

If neither proposal passes by midnight Sept. 30, non-essential federal operations will halt. Essential services-including Border Patrol, Social Security, and the Postal Service-would continue, but hundreds of thousands of federal employees could face furloughs or unpaid work. Negotiations on the year-end omnibus spending package remain stalled, with Democrats insisting on extensions of Affordable Care Act subsidies and Medicaid protections, provisions Republicans deem out of scope for a short-term CR.

As lawmakers trade blame, the coming days will determine whether brinkmanship gives way to compromise or leaves the nation on the cusp of a partial government shutdown.