Senate Backs Stopgap Funding 89-4, Averting Shutdown Through Dec. 11

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 6

An 89-4 Senate vote broke a filibuster on a stopgap spending bill, putting Congress on track to keep the government funded through Dec. 11 and avoid a shutdown when the fiscal year starts Oct. 1.
The measure extends the House-passed July funding patch, and Democratic support marks a sharp change from last fall, when a 43-day shutdown followed Democrats' refusal to advance a GOP plan.
John Thune said final passage could come within days, but senators remain unclear on the chamber's schedule as leaders try to squeeze in nominations, a Russia sanctions bill, budget work and other priorities before recess.
Todd Blanche's attorney general nomination is a top Republican goal, while Trump's push for the SAVE America Act appears stalled because GOP leaders say they lack the votes to overcome the filibuster.
The funding vote suggests the Senate's easiest task may be preventing a shutdown, even as its broader late-summer agenda looks too crowded to finish before lawmakers leave Washington.