With government funding set to run out this Friday, House members passed a measure on Wednesday to approve spending for one more week, in order to prevent a government shutdown.


What You Need To Know

  • The House of Reprentatives passed a bill to extend government funding for one more week

  • The measure is expected to pass the Senate as soon as Thursday

  • Congress still needs to finalize negotiations on a full spending bill to fund the government through the end of the year
  • The vote comes as negotiaions over COVID-19 relief continue, with a proposal from the White House on the table

The continuing resolution essentially stretches out the funding measure passed by Congress in late September through Dec. 18. The House passed the bill 343 to 67, and it's likely to be taken up and passed in the Senate as soon as Thursday.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) expressed support for the measure earlier this week.

“I anticipate that the Senate will take up a one-week extension this week so the government does not close on December 11th and work can continue through the end of next week,” McConnell said on the floor Monday.

Stopgap bills to fund the government temporarily have become the norm on Capitol Hill, and this year, the appropriations process was overshadowed by negotiations for a COVID-19 relief bill, which fell apart in the fall, as well as the presidential race and the death of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

If the one-week extension is signed by the President, Congress would then need to complete negotiations and pass a larger spending bill by next Friday, Dec. 18, in order to fund the government through the rest of the budget year, which runs through Sep. 30, 2021.

Last year, the U.S. underwent its longest government shutdown in history at 34 days, which resulted in more than 300,000 federal employees furloughed and thousands more forced to work with their pay delayed.

Government spending negotiations are also happening amid a continued disagreement over COVID-19 relief.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin offered a $916 billion proposal Tuesday, which he said has the support of Republicans and the White House. It includes $600 direct payments to Americans but does not include a weekly unemployment subsidy, which is a must for Democrats.

Last week, top Democrats expressed support for a $908 billion proposal from a bipartisan group of senators, which is still on the table as a possible compromise.

Lawmakers on both sides have called for a relief bill by the time members leave Washington for the holidays, which now looks to be Dec. 18 for both chambers. 

“On COVID-19, there is no deadline,” Rep. Hoyer said Wednesday. “The deadline is, we need to do it as soon as possible.”