The Senate has overwhelmingly approved a stopgap spending bill designed to keep the federal government operating through the November midterm elections and avoid another shutdown battle just before voters head to the polls.

The continuing resolution passed 90-6 early Saturday and would fund the government through Dec. 11. It now heads to the House, which is scheduled to return Aug. 31.

Current federal funding expires Sept. 30.

Lawmakers normally wait until closer to a funding deadline to approve temporary spending legislation. This time, however, Republicans and Democrats were eager to prevent a shutdown ahead of the midterms, particularly after a record 43-day government shutdown last fall and another funding dispute that temporarily shut down the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year.

The Senate bill includes a provision temporarily blocking a White House Office of Management and Budget rule that would give political appointees greater authority over the distribution of federal grants. Democrats and some Republicans had pushed for the restriction.

Another provision would delay until December a ban on certain hemp-derived intoxicating products, including delta-8 THC. That issue caused a dispute among Senate Republicans and delayed consideration of the overall spending package.

An effort to remove the hemp provision failed on a 61-32 vote.

Despite possible objections from some House conservatives over spending levels and the restrictions on the White House budget office, the measure’s 90-vote Senate majority suggests strong bipartisan support for avoiding another shutdown.

If approved by the House and signed into law, the legislation would take the threat of a federal government shutdown off the table until more than a month after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

Source: The Hill