US House advances stopgap spending bill to avert government shutdown

WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) – The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday cleared the way for a vote later this week on a stopgap funding measure to avert a partial federal government shutdown in two weeks.
Lawmakers voted 216-210 to approve a measure allowing the House to open debate on the stopgap legislation, which would provide funding for federal agencies through November 21, giving the House and Senate additional time to reach agreement on full-scale appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026, which begins on October 1.
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The stopgap also includes $88 million to bolster security for members of Congress, the Supreme Court and the executive branch following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
The annual funding debate covers only about one-quarter of the federal government’s $7 trillion budget, which also includes mandatory programs such as Social Security and Medicare, as well as payments on the nation’s $37.5 trillion debt.
Republicans hope to pass the stopgap bill by Friday and send it on to the Senate, which would also have to approve the measure before Republican President Donald Trump could sign it into law.
But in the Senate, which Republicans control by 53-47 seats, the stopgap measure known as a continuing resolution or