With government funding due to run out at the end of the fiscal year on September 30, congressional leaders moved to head off a shutdown before voters go to the polls this fall.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins and Vice Chair Patty Murray announced a bipartisan agreement to pass a continuing resolution, a stopgap measure that keeps federal spending at current levels rather than passing a full new budget. The deal would fund the government through December 11. The House had already passed its own short-term measure earlier in the month to fund the government into early December, a step lawmakers from both parties described as a way to avoid disruption during campaign season.
This year's budget fight follows a bumpier stretch than usual. The fiscal year 2026 budget process began with a shutdown at the start of October 2025 that lasted until mid-November, and a separate, shorter partial shutdown hit again in early February 2026 before the House passed a package to reopen agencies within days. Against that backdrop, both parties had strong incentives to avoid a third disruption landing in the final weeks before an election, when a shutdown's effects on federal workers, benefits processing, and everyday government services would be especially visible to voters.
Congress has already passed roughly half of this year's individual funding bills, so the continuing resolution is meant as a bridge rather than a long-term fix. Lawmakers will still need to negotiate full-year spending bills, or another stopgap, before the new December deadline arrives, meaning the underlying disagreements over spending levels and policy provisions have been postponed rather than resolved.
The new funding deadline is December 11. Expect renewed negotiations over full-year appropriations bills in the weeks after the midterm elections.
When would the government have shut down without this deal?
Funding was set to expire at the end of the day on September 30, which would have triggered a shutdown starting October 1.
Does this solve the budget fight for the year?
No, it is a temporary bridge. Congress still needs to pass full-year spending bills, or another stopgap, before the new December 11 deadline.