La Cámara se mueve a la lucha de financiación del gobierno pasado midterms

Washington, The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a short-term government funding extension, aiming to delay the contentious fiscal battle until after the November midterm elections. The measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), would keep federal agencies operating under current funding levels until December 4. It passed in a 220-to-205 vote, with six Democrats joining all but one Republican in backing the plan. The decision marks another step in the ongoing struggle over congressional control of the budget process. The funding patch comes just days before the House is set to depart for its five-week August recess. With government operations currently funded through September 30, the new measure provides lawmakers with additional time to resolve broader funding disputes before the political calendar intensifies. The measure now awaits action from the Senate, which is expected to remain in session through early August. Senate Majority Leader John Thune confirmed plans to introduce a short-term spending bill before the chamber’s summer break, potentially setting up a showdown between chambers. Thune suggested that the House’s upcoming budget resolution, which aims to establish a framework for future spending decisions, might serve as a basis for extending government funding beyond November. This approach would leverage the reconciliation process, allowing Senate Republicans to bypass the need for Democratic support. However, Thune expressed hope that a more cooperative path would emerge, noting that “productive conversations” had taken place on both sides of the aisle regarding a funding resolution that could span the election period. Since April, the House Appropriations Committee has moved forward with all 12 annual appropriations bills required to fund the federal government. Three of these have cleared the full House, though the process has stalled in the Senate, where none of the proposed measures have advanced beyond the Appropriations Committee. The latest House action reflects a strategy to avoid further gridlock by deferring major policy debates to a post-election environment. House Republicans emphasized that the CR includes no controversial provisions or “poison pills,” as described by Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican. Johnson asserted that the measure simply maintains existing funding levels without introducing new policies or conditions. Similarly, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican, stated that the goal was to prevent a government shutdown between now and the election, citing two previous shutdowns caused by Senate actions. However, the proposal faces opposition from some Democrats, particularly Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee’s Democratic caucus. DeLauro criticized the measure for failing to retain a key provision from earlier legislation that restricted funding for Border Patrol. She argued that the omission would allow the Trump administration to redirect funds intended for other parts of Customs and Border Protection to the agency, effectively undermining efforts to reform immigration enforcement practices. DeLauro noted that in April, Congress passed a bill that funded most of the Department of Homeland Security, excluding immigration enforcement agencies, thereby ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. She warned that without continued restrictions on Border Patrol funding, the Trump administration could exploit the situation to shift resources without meaningful oversight. In a statement released ahead of the vote, House Democratic leaders condemned the measure as a “premature and desperate attempt by Republicans to abdicate their responsibility to govern.” They stressed that there were still several months available to negotiate a bipartisan solution that addresses long-standing concerns over government spending and accountability.