On August 3, the Senate released its bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) bill that would fund federal agencies at current appropriations levels – with a few exceptions – through December 11. The chamber laid the groundwork to advance the bill. Senate leadership expects the final vote to take place sometime later this week, as lawmakers are set to begin their August recess next week.
Critically, the bill includes language that delays implementation of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Proposed Rule on Federal Grantmaking (see previous FABBS coverage here and here). Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee (SAC), has publicly criticized the rule, sending a letter to OMB Director Russell Vought in early July asking him to withdraw parts of the rule and extend the comment period. According to SAC Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Democrats wanted to see the rule nixed entirely, but Republicans would only agree to a temporary ban — still a big win for the scientific community. The Senate CR also includes language allowing the Census Bureau to spend, as needed, additional funds in support of 2030 Decennial Census preparations. FABBS recently signed a letter led by The Census Project encouraging Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to request this flexibility.
Before beginning its recess on July 24, the House finalized and passed its own partisan CR bill, a “clean” spending measure that extends government funding at current levels through December 4. Unlike the Senate bill, the House version does not mention the OMB rule. Although the House has reported all 12 of its appropriations bills out of the full Appropriations Committee, the Senate has failed to markup any, as Republicans and Democrats have yet to agree on topline funding numbers.
The House will be back in session on September 1 while the Senate remains out until September 14. Congress must send one CR bill to President Trump for his signature, so lawmakers will need to negotiate a final bill that can pass both chambers. Notably, while the House can pass bills by simple majority, the Senate requires 60 votes to pass spending measures; thus, the final bill will need the support of at least some Senate Democrats. Two issues in the Senate bill may hold up negotiations: (1) the OMB proposed rule delay, and (2) no new funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Border Patrol. House Republicans may oppose both provisions, preferring a clean bill. If a CR does not pass before the end of fiscal year 2026 (FY26) on September 30, the government will shut down on October 1.
