Government Shutdown

Senate Passes Stopgap Bill to Avert Shutdown, Avoiding Skirmish Before Midterms

The move came more than a month before the spending deadline, reflecting an eagerness in both parties to avoid a messy fight before the midterm elections.

By Catie Edmondson

Reporting from the Capitol

Aug. 8, 2026, 4:04 a.m. ET

The Senate on Saturday passed a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown at the end of September, in a bipartisan effort to head off a major spending skirmish before the midterm elections.

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The Senate on Monday overwhelmingly advanced a stopgap funding bill aimed at avoiding a government shutdown ahead of this fall's midterms.

In today's Daily Digest of the Congressional Record is the summation of yesterday's proceedings includes reports from the various committees. Previously I have noted that the House has completed work on all 13 spending bills on the Committee level, while the Senate had yet to start. Yesterday (July 22nd), the Senate began getting their act together. After first approving a Budget Resolution that will largely be ignored, the various subcommittees finally were filled out for the current Congress. They are:

Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies: Senators Hoeven (Chair), McConnell, Collins, Moran, Hyde-Smith, Fischer, Rounds, Husted, Shaheen, Merkley, Baldwin, Heinrich, Peters, Gillibrand, and Ossoff.

Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: Senators Moran (Chair), Murkowski, Collins, Capito, Kennedy, Hagerty, Britt, Fischer, Graham, Van Hollen, Reed, Shaheen, Coons, Schatz, Merkley, Peters, and Gillibrand.

Subcommittee on Department of Defense: Senators McConnell (Chair), Collins, Murkowski, Moran, Hoeven, Boozman, Capito, Kennedy, Hyde-Smith, Coons, Durbin, Murray, Reed, Schatz, Baldwin, Shaheen, and Murphy.

Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development: Senators Kennedy (Chair), McConnell, Murkowski, Hoeven, Hyde-Smith, Hagerty, Britt, Rounds, Graham, Murray, Durbin, Merkley, Coons, Baldwin, Heinrich, Peters, and Ossoff.

Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government: Senators Hagerty (Chair), Boozman, Fischer, Husted, Graham, Reed, Durbin, Coons, and Van Hollen.

Subcommittee on Department of Homeland Security: Senators Britt (Chair), Murkowski, Capito, Kennedy, Hyde-Smith, Hagerty, Murphy, Murray, Shaheen, Peters, and Van Hollen.

Subcommittee on the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies: Senators Murkowski (Chair), McConnell, Capito, Hoeven, Fischer, Rounds, Husted, Merkley, Van Hollen, Heinrich, Baldwin, Gillibrand, and Ossoff.

Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies: Senators Capito (Chair), Moran, Kennedy, Hyde-Smith, Boozman, Britt, Rounds, Husted, Graham, Baldwin, Murray, Durbin, Reed, Shaheen, Merkley, Schatz, and Murphy.

Subcommittee on Legislative Branch: Senators Fischer (Chair), Rounds, Husted, Heinrich and Ossoff.

Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: Senators Boozman (Chair), McConnell, Murkowski, Hoeven, Collins, Hagerty, Fischer, Rounds, Graham, Ossoff, Murray, Reed, Schatz, Baldwin, Heinrich, Peters, and Gillibrand.

Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: Senators Collins (Interim Chair), McConnell, Boozman, Moran, Hagerty, Britt, Husted, Schatz, Durbin, Shaheen, Coons, Merkley, and Murphy.

Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies: Senators Hyde-Smith (Chair), Collins, Boozman, Capito, Hoeven, Kennedy, Moran, Britt, Graham, Gillibrand, Murray, Durbin, Reed, Coons, Schatz, Murphy, and Van Hollen.

Senators Collins and Murray are ex-officio members of each subcommittee.

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