WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a short-term measure Tuesday to fund the federal government into early December, a move designed to avoid a chaotic shutdown as lawmakers campaign for reelection.

Lawmakers needed to act before the fiscal year concludes at the end of September to avoid a funding lapse. They were determined not to bump up against that deadline during the campaign season following this past year’s historic shutdowns

The House passed the bill by a bipartisan vote of 370-48. The Senate has already overwhelmingly approved the measure, so it now moves to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.  Upon signing, the government will be funded through December 11. 

“It gives the nation and our constituents certainty, certainty that the government will remain open, certainty that our service members will be paid,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.

Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming Tuesday’s final passage saying, “This is good news because it prevents a shutdown at the end of September, and preserves our current funding. American Samoa relies on federal funding for essential services, and I’m very pleased we won’t have a shutdown at the end of the fiscal year. Instead, this provides more time to work on full year appropriations.”

Congresswoman Amata supports passage of the full appropriations bills for planning and stability, and especially because they include two of Amata’s requests for American Samoa: $1 million additional for American Samoa operations through OIA, and $1 million for port infrastructure requested cooperatively as a community project by Congresswoman Amata with Governor Pulaali’i and Director Barney Sene.

The House has completed committee work on all 12 appropriations bills, including Amata’s requested funding projects, but bicameral passage of all 12 is required to fully fund the government for 2027. Under the extension, American Samoa’s current 2026 funding levels continue an additional two and a half months. 

BACKGROUND

A record 43-day shutdown occurred last fall when the two parties disagreed on renewing an expiring tax credit  that lowers the cost of health coverage obtained through Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Then came the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which lasted 76 days before lawmakers agreed to fund much of the department but not its immigration enforcement operations.

Lawmakers were wary of a repeat before voters go to the polls. They also blamed the other party for the recent impasses.

“We’re going to avoid the threat of another Democratic shutdown,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters in advance of the vote.

After the vote Johnson said the House delivered, despite those who doubted the Republican majority would be able to push past its own divisions and rally support.

“We’re continuing to do the grown-up thing, get the job done,” he said.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the lead Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, encouraged her Democratic colleagues to vote for the measure during a closed-door meeting Tuesday morning.

She said the bill was much improved from the product that passed the House earlier this summer on a mostly party-line basis. For example, she said it prevents the Department of Homeland Security from transferring funds to the Border Patrol, and it delays a proposed rule that would give political appointees in the Trump administration more authority to stop federal grants from going out for programs they view as not in line with the president’s agenda. Those changes were made when the Senate approved its version of the bill.

Republicans are seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in additional spending for the military while cutting most non-defense programs. Democrats say that’s a non-starter and insist on a bipartisan approach that treats domestic programs with parity.