Senate Passes Stopgap Spending Bill to Keep Government Funded Through December

The Senate voted 90-6 early Saturday to approve temporary funding legislation that will keep federal agencies operating through December 11, forestalling a potential government shutdown during the final weeks of the election season. The overnight action represents an unusual move, as lawmakers typically delay such measures until the eleventh hour rather than acting nearly two months before the fiscal year concludes on September 30.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune prioritized passage before the chamber adjourned for a five-week recess, allowing members to concentrate on reelection efforts. The legislation garnered substantial bipartisan support despite being complicated by competing provisions that extended voting into the early morning hours. The House must also vote on the measure following its return from the August break before sending it to President Donald Trump for approval.

Democrats secured provisions preventing the transfer of funds to the Border Patrol and blocked a White House request for $1 billion to begin construction on a new “Trump-class” battleship announced December 22. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized the battleship proposal, stating that only Trump supports the vessels to attach his name to them.

The bill includes a one-month delay on a national hemp product ban, triggering objections from Senate Republicans concerned about intoxicating products marketed to children. Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina cited a tenfold increase in cannabis-related emergency room visits among minors since 2017, calling the situation a public health crisis requiring immediate action.

Hemp industry representatives defended the delay as necessary time for Congress to develop protective legislation balancing farmer and business interests with child safety measures. Trump discussed the hemp issue with Budd by phone, though did not specifically request the senator abandon his efforts to remove the delay, Budd’s spokesman stated.

Democrats and Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine inserted language blocking new Trump administration regulations that would require senior political appointees to review federal grants before distribution. The rule has generated nearly 500,000 negative comments from the public, Collins noted, adding she has never witnessed such overwhelming opposition to a proposed regulation during her Senate tenure.

The White House Office of Management and Budget defended the grant review process as an accountability measure ensuring taxpayer funds are not wasted or misused. Democrats contend the regulations aim to redirect aid away from Democratic-leaning states toward Trump administration priorities.