Congressional Democrats on Wednesday unveiled a new bill to extend government funding — less than two days ahead of a planned House vote on a Republican-drafted version.
The proposal includes a number of new provisions intended to push back on the Trump administration’s funding freezes and to allow agencies such as NOAA and the Department of Energy to maintain funding levels for certain programs.
It would also extend seemingly minor provisions that expire at month’s end, like a program for states allowing electric vehicles to travel in high-occupancy vehicle lanes.
Democrats’ funding stopgap comes as party leaders blast Republicans for producing a continuing resolution Tuesday that did not include Democratic priorities. Republicans have fired back, criticizing the Democrats for rejecting their ostensibly nonpartisan proposal.
Republican leaders signaled they would reject the Democratic counteroffer, leaving Congress at an impasse with less than two weeks to go before the Oct. 1 funding deadline.
“While Republicans push America to the brink of a shutdown, Democrats are ready to negotiate a bipartisan continuing resolution and government funding bills that lower the cost of living, help working people — not just billionaires — and protect people’s health care,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the House and Senate’s top Democratic appropriators, respectively, in a joint statement.
“We invite Republican leadership to finally join Democratic leadership at the negotiating table, which they have refused for weeks to do, to prevent a shutdown and begin bipartisan negotiations to keep the government funded,” they said.
The Democrats’ CR is shorter than the Republicans’ bill, proposing to keep federal agencies and programs running through Oct. 31 instead of Nov. 21. Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle want to buy more time to finalize fiscal 2026 appropriations bills.
The biggest difference, however, is that instead of being “clean,” as Republicans have branded theirs, the new CR includes a number of Democratic riders that party leaders say are must-haves in order to get their vote.
The funding patch would impose new guardrails on the White House to prevent the Trump administration from rescinding congressionally approved funds via so-called pocket rescissions, and it would restore some funding that the administration has already unilaterally frozen or withheld.
The Democratic CR would also restore some funds for public broadcasters, which Republicans rescinded earlier this summer. It would reverse Medicaid cuts that Republicans enacted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and permanently extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Additionally, it proposes tens of millions more dollars than Republicans included in their bill to beef up security for lawmakers and federal judges following the assassination of conservative organizer Charlie Kirk.
Energy, environment language
Democrats added a number of other riders and extensions to support climate, energy and science programs throughout the duration of the CR.
The bill includes sections that would give NASA, NOAA and the National Science Foundation more flexibility to spend or award certain funds, including to maintain facilities and scientific awards.
Democrats inserted language that would require the administration to spend funds for the DOE as appropriators directed in the fiscal 2024 spending bill. The directions would apply to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Office of Electricity; Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management; and Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response.
Murray secured a provision in the bill that would require DOE to meet legal obligations to complete the hot commissioning facility at the Hanford nuclear cleanup site in her home state of Washington. She and DOE officials have sparred over the project’s timeline in recent weeks.
Democrats added a provision that would extend by one year the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s authorities to “accept contributions for environmental and technical work,” according to a bill summary.
The bill would extend existing authorities for alternative-fuel vehicles, like EVs, to use HOV lanes.
GOP plows ahead
House Republicans are plowing ahead with their preferred bill. The House voted 216-210 Wednesday to advance the GOP stopgap, H.R. 5371, on a procedural motion.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he expects the House will vote on the Republican bill before the end of the week. The Senate could shorten a scheduled recess next week to vote on the bill, even though Senate Democrats have said they will not provide the votes needed for passage.
In a statement of administration policy Wednesday, the White House Office of Management and Budget said, “Opposition to H.R. 5371 is an endorsement of a senseless Government shutdown that the American people will not stand for.”
Separately, House and Senate appropriators on both sides of the aisle are continuing to negotiate a slate of three fiscal 2026 appropriations bills: Agriculture, Legislative Branch and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Wednesday that she hopes to reach bipartisan compromise on those bills by the end of the month, according to POLITICO.
