Congress Delays Partial Federal Shutdown, President Signs

On Thursday December 6, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed legislation to fund the federal government for the next two weeks – until December 21, 2018. The President signed it on Friday, December 7, thus delaying a potential partial federal shut down. The measure, known as a “stop gap”, would extend existing funding levels for the agencies which have not already been funded for 2019. This does not apply to essential programs such as Medicaid and other Health and Human Services (HHS) programs, which have already been fully funded through a deal between Congressional Republicans and Democrats before the election. The stopgap notably concerns the Department of Homeland Security, which is at the center of contentious partisan discussions between the two parties concerning funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, requested by the president.