Senate Passes Continuing Resolution to Fund Government Through Mid-December

WASHINGTON, D.C. - By a vote of 90 to 6, the Senate today passed a clean continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through Dec. 11, averting a potential government shutdown and giving the Senate Appropriations Committee additional time to complete work on fiscal year appropriations bills. The measure, which includes an extension of funding for the nation's surface transportation programs, now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

"Democrats have made it clear their distaste of President Trump is greater than their willingness to do their job and pass a full appropriations bill for the year," said U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND). "While a continuing resolution is not ideal, it removes the threat of a shutdown and gives us more time to get a full-year appropriations bill done. The House should pass this quickly and get it to the President's desk."

The CR maintains funding for critical highway, rail, and transit programs while providing key adjustments for priorities including WIC, vital national security programs such as shipbuilding across multiple vessels, and the Disaster Relief Fund.

Recent government shutdowns have imposed significant costs on the American people. The Democrats' 76-day shutdown of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-the longest in the department's history-led to the cancellation of 7,500 flights, cost the travel industry $2.6 billion, prompted more than 1,000 TSA officers to leave the workforce, and left 1.3 million servicemembers facing uncertainty about their pay.