The federal government remains funded through December 11 under a continuing resolution that Senate leaders negotiated earlier this year to avoid a shutdown around the start of the fiscal year on October 1. The deal, struck by Senate Appropriations Committee leaders Susan Collins and Patty Murray, passed with bipartisan support and was designed specifically to keep the government open through the run-up to the midterm elections rather than risk a shutdown fight in the campaign's final stretch.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole described the measure as a clean, short-term extension meant to keep agencies running and preserve progress toward full-year spending bills, while protecting military pay and ongoing weapons programs from disruption. The stopgap avoided the kind of shutdown that would have furloughed civilian federal employees and required troops to continue working without pay.
With funding questions set aside for now, the political calendar has shifted toward the midterm campaign itself. The White House introduced a new press secretary this week, who used an early briefing to address a range of questions from reporters, while President Trump and Vice President Vance have been traveling to campaign on behalf of Republican candidates ahead of the elections next month.
Separately, the administration also announced the resignation of the US ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, a move confirmed by the new press secretary during her debut briefing. Diplomatic posts often see turnover around election cycles as administrations reassess personnel across agencies.
Lawmakers will need to revisit government funding again before the December 11 deadline, and campaign activity is expected to intensify through the final weeks before the midterm elections.
When does government funding run out next?
The current continuing resolution funds the government through December 11.
Was there a shutdown this October?
No, a shutdown was averted when the continuing resolution passed with bipartisan support before the October 1 funding deadline.