House Returns to Vote on Senate CR to Avert Oct. 1 Shutdown

WASHINGTON, Congress heads into the final stretch before a potential government shutdown with the House set to vote on a Senate-passed spending patch when lawmakers return from recess Aug. 31.

The Senate voted 90-6 on Aug. 8 to pass a continuing resolution that would keep federal agencies funded through Dec. 11, according to a client alert published by the law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. The bipartisan margin was wide, but the measure still must clear the House before the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1.

The two chambers are working from different texts. The House passed its own version July 21, which funds the government through Dec. 4 but does not include what budget drafters call anomalies, targeted exceptions that allow specific programs to deviate from prior-year spending levels. The Senate version extends through Dec. 11, includes those anomalies, and carries an additional provision that blocks the Office of Management and Budget from finalizing revisions to Uniform Grant Guidance while the CR is in effect, according to an analysis by the Association of Educational Service Agencies.

The House is expected to take up the Senate text, according to the same analysis, which noted White House backing for that version.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, released the Senate CR text on the Sunday before the vote, according to the Brownstein alert.

The continuing resolution funds the 12 major appropriations divisions at FY 2026 spending levels, with limited carve-outs. Those carve-outs include provisions for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, pay flexibility for wildland firefighters, and a freeze on cost-of-living adjustments for members of Congress, according to the Congressional Research Service summary of H.R. 9770 on Congress.gov.

Transit advocates flagged a gap in the Senate version. The American Public Transportation Association noted that the CR does not continue advance appropriations, which currently provide $4.25 billion annually for public transit and $13.2 billion for passenger rail programs. Without those advance appropriations, the group said the CR would cut overall federal public transit investment by 20 percent from FY 2026 levels and slash passenger rail investment by 83 percent.

Longer-term spending talks face structural headwinds. Any final FY 2027 spending bill needs 60 votes in the Senate, which requires bipartisan support. Disagreements between Senate appropriations leaders have stalled the bipartisan process that typically anchors year-end negotiations, according to the AESA analysis.

With roughly 15 legislative days remaining before Oct. 1, when Congress returns from recess, the immediate task is reconciling the two CR versions and getting a bill to the president's desk.

Sources cited:
- Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck client alert, Aug. 8, 2026 (https://www.bhfs.com/insight/cr-and-far-between-can-the-house-and-senate-find-a-funding-solution/)
- Association of Educational Service Agencies FY2027 appropriations update, Aug. 13, 2026 (https://www.aesa.us/2026/08/13/fy2027-appropriations-update/)
- Congress.gov, H.R. 9770, Continuing Appropriations Act 2027 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9770)
- American Public Transportation Association, Passenger Transport (https://aptapassengertransport.com/senate-appropriations-committee-leaders-unveil-continuing-resolution/)
- National Association of Counties, Aug. 2026 (https://www.naco.org/news/senate-passes-bill-fund-government-through-december-11-and-delay-omb-rule)