Senate approves stopgap funding resolution

Update: President Trump signed the extension Friday night (Dec. 11).

Earlier this afternoon, the Senate voted to pass a stopgap Continuing Resolution (CR) that would keep the government funded through Dec. 18 and avoid a potential government shutdown. In September, Congress had voted to extend the deadline for the passage of the annual government funding bill to midnight tonight. The House passed the week-long extension on Wednesday by a margin of 343-67, while the extension passed through the Senate on a voice vote today. The CR now goes to the desk of President Trump, where he is expected to sign it. This leaves Congress with one week to work out the details of the spending bill prior to the holidays, with issues on COVID relief and the FY21 budget acting as the main sticking points in negotiations.

The previous stopgap spending extension contained the one-year extension of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act).