Congress has left Washington with federal funding still unfinished, setting up a December 11 deadline to keep the government open.
Lawmakers passed a stopgap measure keeping agencies funded through December 11, but the House has now entered a district work period and the Senate is not expected back in full session until November 9.
According to reports, the continuing resolution also delayed a controversial White House grants rule, punting several fights into the lame-duck session.
With the deadline falling just weeks before the holidays, both parties face pressure to strike a deal — or risk a shutdown fight in December.
Appropriators say negotiations will continue behind the scenes, but the calendar leaves little room for error when lawmakers return.
The stopgap approach has become a Washington habit: rather than passing the twelve annual spending bills on time, Congress increasingly governs by short-term extensions that kick hard decisions down the road.
This time the stakes feel higher, with the White House and congressional leaders at odds over both spending levels and the strings attached to federal grants.
When members return in November, they will have roughly a month to reconcile those differences — or explain to voters why the government ground to a halt just before Christmas.
Behind the scenes, appropriators from both parties say the outlines of a deal exist — if leaders can agree on topline numbers and resolve the grants-rule fight that has become a proxy for larger philosophical differences.
The White House, meanwhile, has signaled it wants tighter control over how federal money flows to states and localities, a position Democrats describe as an executive power grab.
Interest groups are already mobilizing for the December showdown, with federal-employee unions warning that another shutdown would furlough workers right before the holidays.
For now, Washington is in a holding pattern: offices half-empty, negotiations ongoing, and a deadline that will arrive faster than anyone expects.
