House Passes Stopgap Funding Bill to Avert Shutdown, 220-205
The House of Representatives on July 21, 2026, passed H.R. 9770, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027, by a vote of 220 to 205, with six members not voting.
The measure is a short-term "continuing resolution," a stopgap bill that keeps federal agencies operating at existing funding levels to prevent a government shutdown. The bill provides continuing appropriations to federal agencies through the earlier of December 4, 2026, or the enactment of the applicable full-year appropriations acts, and prevents a government shutdown that would otherwise occur if the FY2027 appropriations bills have not been enacted when the fiscal year begins on October 1, 2026. The bill funds most programs and activities at fiscal year 2026 levels, with several exceptions that provide funding flexibility or additional appropriations for programs such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Small Business Administration loan programs, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund, the Indian Health Service, and wildfire suppression activities.
Supporters, led by House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole of Oklahoma, framed the bill as a responsible step to avoid a shutdown. Cole said he rose in support of the bill, arguing that Congress has a constitutional duty to fund the government, and that this "clean, short-term continuing resolution simply keeps the government open, protects the progress we have made, and preserves the path to full-year appropriations." He said the bill extends the government funding deadline to December 4, contains no "poison pills or partisan riders," and preserves the House's progress toward completing full-year fiscal 2027 appropriations. Cole also faulted Senate Democrats, saying they would not allow markups to progress and that his conference refused to let their "obstruction and inaction" trigger "another manufactured shutdown at the end of September."
Representative Steve Womack of Arkansas also spoke in support. Womack described the measure as "an insurance policy" ensuring that, if Congress does not finish its work by the end of the fiscal year, the government "will be held harmless," and said it extends funding while ensuring "zero disruptions" to programs like SNAP, WIC, the National Flood Insurance Program, and the disaster relief fund. He said he is not a fan of continuing resolutions but called passing the bill a better alternative than threatening a government shutdown.
Opponents, led by Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, objected to both the substance of the bill and the process behind it. DeLauro said Republicans released the bill on a Friday afternoon with no bipartisan negotiation, little advance notice, and without information from agencies about what funding they would need. She said a final Homeland Security bill that passed by voice vote in April had included a provision removing funding for the Border Patrol, and that the continuing resolution removes that prohibition in a way that would allow the Homeland Security Secretary to transfer billions of dollars to the Border Patrol. DeLauro said Democrats had shared language to fix what they assumed was an error, but that Republicans refused to do so. DeLauro said Democrats wanted protections tied to Border Patrol funding — including body-worn cameras, restrictions on operations at sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, and houses of worship, warrant requirements, independent investigations into misconduct, and an end to racial profiling. She said Democrats did not want a government shutdown, noting there were still two months before the funding deadline, and objected to rushing an incomplete extension. She also said she could not support the bill without technical language regarding the Border Patrol that was agreed upon in April, and raised concerns about a proposed Office of Management and Budget rule allowing political appointees to block or terminate grant funding.
The bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
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