Congress Passes Two-Week Funding Bill, Delaying Government Shutdown

Legislative Update
December 7, 2018

On December 6, Congress passed a two-week stop-gap bill that funds much of the federal government, delaying a potential shutdown of many government agencies and programs. The bill extends the current spending deadline, which would have expired December 7, through to December 21 to allow negotiators more time to resolve disagreements on policy riders. President Trump signed the legislation early today.

Congress had already passed Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Appropriations bills in September for a number of key government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DOD), which also funds medical research programs.

Congress has been unable to come to agreement, among themselves as well as with the White House, over several remaining issues, most notably the President's demand for funding for construction of a border wall. The Department of Homeland Security is one of the agencies which would be shut down if the current impasse is not resolved before the December 21 deadline.