Congress Running Out of Time to Fund Government Before September Deadline

Congress is running short on time to fund the government before the fiscal year ends on September 30, with partisan divisions and internal Republican disputes slowing progress on spending bills.

Both houses are out on recess for Independence Day until July 13. Then they’ll be in session for roughly three weeks before the traditional August recess begins.

House Speaker Mike Johnson sent the House for recess early, after some Republicans voted against a rule to move debate forward on a number of issues.

The failed procedural vote halted consideration of the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the National Security-State spending bill, and other legislation scheduled for floor action.

The Republicans who voted against the rule are demanding action on the voting bill known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, in exchange for advancing other priorities.

Speaker Johnson said that he will try to get that bill passed through the budget reconciliation process and package with other Republican priorities to send to the Senate. 

Senate Stuck

Meanwhile the Senate appropriations process is stuck with Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) unable to agree on a top line spending number. 

The Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to hold a single markup with just three months to go before funding expires. 

Democrats say Senator Collins– who is facing a reelection race in Maine– is pursuing President Trump’s goal for a record military budget that eclipses domestic spending. Republicans say Senator Murray is playing politics to prevent Republicans from getting a deal before the election. 

Democrats argue Senator Collins is supporting the administration's push for a significantly larger defense budget at the expense of domestic spending, while Republicans accuse Democrats of delaying negotiations for political reasons.

“We do not have an agreement,” Senator Murray said, because Republicans “are set on increasing defense in an increasingly huge way that we’ve never had to deal with before.”

There was a different perspective from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). 

“The appropriations process used to be fairly bipartisan. … Murray and the Democrats have turned it into a partisan game,” said Senator Thune. 

The House meanwhile has completed committee action on all 12 spending bills, with two already through the full house.