On Sunday, August 2nd, 2026, the Senate Appropriations Committee reached an agreement on a funding bill designed to prevent a government shutdown at the end of September and fund the government through part of December. An initial procedural vote on the bill is scheduled for Monday night, August 3rd, with Senate leaders aiming to pass it before the upcoming recess.

The bill includes necessary adjustments for programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, the Disaster Relief Fund, and shipbuilding across several vessels. It also temporarily blocks the White House from implementing changes to the federal grant-approval process.

Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) expressed satisfaction with the bipartisan agreement, stating it prevents the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)'s proposed rule regarding federal financial assistance from taking effect. Collins had previously criticized the final sign-off authority over grants as a “deeply flawed rule,” having written to OMB Director Russell Vought about the issue earlier in July.

Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the committee’s vice chair, said the short-term funding bill blocks a policy that would allow former President Trump to hold federal grants hostage and closes a loophole used by House Republicans to divert funding from other agencies to the Border Patrol. She added that the continuing resolution (CR) provides Congress the time needed to work on bipartisan appropriations bills, which she prefers for handling annual government funding. Murray emphasized that the CR is a major step toward averting a damaging shutdown that would harm vital programs and federal workers.

Ryan Wrasse, spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), told Politico that passing the bill now will avert a costly government shutdown in the fall. Thune had earlier expressed hope that a funding deal would be ready for a Senate vote this week.

Sources