Congress Funds Government Through Dec. 11, Delaying Shutdown Fight Until After 2026 Midterms
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Oct 1
Congress Funds Government Through Dec. 11, Delaying Shutdown Fight Until After 2026 Midterms
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 1
Summary
December 11 is the new funding deadline after Congress moved early to avoid a shutdown, sparing Washington the annual Sept. 30 fiscal-year standoff.
Midterm politics drove the truce: after last year’s 43-day shutdown, neither party wanted another spending crisis before voters go to the polls.
A post-election clash still looms because Senate rules require 60 votes, meaning Republicans would need at least seven Democrats to advance any spending package in a lame-duck session.
Control of the House or Senate could reshape strategy immediately, with Republicans potentially pushing funding into fall 2027 if they fear losing power and Democrats arguing election results should guide 2027 spending.
That setup echoes late 2018, when a post-midterm impasse carried a shutdown into the next Congress, suggesting this fall’s calm may only postpone a broader leadership and spending fight.