Congress OKs Stopgap Government Funding Measure

The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday overwhelmingly approved a measure that averts a potential government shutdown at the end of the month, continuing government-wide funding at fiscal year 2026 levels through December 11. Since the Senate had already agreed to the stopgap at the beginning of August, House approval sends the measure to President Trump’s desk for signature.

FY2026 ends on September 30, but lawmakers have made little progress on forwarding FY2027 appropriations bills for nearly all of the government agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the FAA. This could have set up a possible funding showdown just before lawmakers are set to break for their campaigns ahead of the November elections. However, pushing off the deadline also paves the way for potentially finalizing appropriations bills during a lame-duck session.

Air Traffic Control Association president and CEO Stephen Creamer praised the move, emphasizing the importance of keeping the government open so officials continue to progress on National Airspace System modernization. He stressed that the effort to implement a “brand new air traffic control system” will require an additional $19 billion in funding from Congress, adding that it is “paramount” that government leaders remain focused on this.