The Senate is scheduled to hold a test vote on Monday, August 3rd, 2026, on a stopgap appropriations bill designed to keep the federal government funded through December 11, 2026. The measure, released Sunday evening, enjoys bipartisan support and is expected to secure more than the 60 votes required to overcome any filibuster.

Known as a continuing resolution (CR), the bill extends fiscal year 2026 funding levels for 10 weeks into fiscal year 2027, with adjustments for programs needing more flexibility. This extension provides lawmakers additional time to negotiate and pass full-year appropriations for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, described the CR as "a major step toward averting a damaging shutdown that only harms vital programs and federal workers." She emphasized that the bill includes funding adjustments to ensure continuity for critical national security programs, such as Navy ship construction, and key benefit programs like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

Collins also noted that Republicans opposed a provision she proposed to prevent the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from executing "illegal ‘pocket rescissions’"—spending pauses issued late in the fiscal year that limit Congress's ability to compel the White House to spend allocated funds.

Importantly, Collins stated, "we closed the loophole in House Republicans’ CR that would have allowed the Trump administration to transfer funding provided for other programs to Border Patrol, which desperately needs reform, not more money." She further remarked that the Senate measure includes "important extensions and language" omitted from a stopgap bill previously passed by House Republicans.

Lawmakers are eager to act early to avoid a government shutdown ahead of the midterm elections this fall.

Sources