Congress Passes Stopgap Measure To Fund Government, Averting Shutdown

Congress has approved a stopgap measure to fund the government for one more week, preventing a shutdown of the federal government.

This gives lawmakers until Friday, May 5, to settle on a bill that will fund the government through the end of the fiscal year in September.

At the beginning of the week, it looked like a high-stakes showdown might happen on Capitol Hill.

President Trump was demanding funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and with Democrats united in opposition, the prospect of a government shutdown loomed.

But Trump quickly backed down from that position.

Now, the eventual spending plan for the rest of the fiscal year appears to be much more routine.

But negotiators aren't quite done piecing it together.

So Congress is passing this weeklong stopgap bill, to fund the government for another week while talks continue. When lawmakers return to Washington next week, they'll do this all one more time.

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