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U.S. House passes stopgap funding bill as Sept. 30 shutdown risk persists

U.S. House passes stopgap funding bill as Sept. 30 shutdown risk persists

Trump said a shutdown will occur in September as the House-approved continuing resolution to fund agencies through Dec. 4 heads to the Senate before funding expires on Sept. 30.

Fact Check
The official House Appropriations Committee press release confirms H.R. 9770 passed 220-205 on July 21, 2026, extending funding through December 4, 2026 and removing the September 30 shutdown deadline. The Hill, Anadolu Agency, and AOL independently confirm the same 220-205 vote count, the December 4 funding date, the Sept. 30 deadline, and the referral to the Senate. All claim elements—vote margin, funding end date, Senate referral, and shutdown avoidance—match across primary and secondary sources.
Summary

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a short-term continuing resolution in a 220-205 vote to keep federal agencies funded at current levels through Dec. 4 and avert a shutdown when current funding expires at midnight on Sept. 30. The measure now heads to the Senate, where it faces a 60-vote threshold and possible Democratic opposition. Trump said in a July 22 speech in Georgia that a federal government shutdown will occur in September amid Republican-Democrat disputes over spending priorities. The legislative calendar adds pressure: the House has 16 session days before the deadline, the Senate has 24, and the chambers overlap for only 11 days after this week. House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole called the bill a clean stopgap to preserve the path to full-year appropriations, while Democrats including Rosa DeLauro criticized it as lacking bipartisan negotiation and warned against provisions they said could affect Congress's spending authority. The bill also includes $174,000 payments to Alfredia Scott, wife of the late Democratic Rep. David Scott of Georgia, and to the heirs at law of Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who the article says died earlier this month.

Terms & Concepts
  • continuing resolution: A temporary spending bill that keeps federal agencies funded when Congress has not completed regular appropriations.
  • appropriations: Congressional legislation that provides funding for government departments, agencies, and programs.
  • government shutdown: A lapse in federal funding that can force parts of the government to stop operating.