House returns to session aiming to avert Sept. 30 funding lapse, with Senate-passed continuing resolution on deck

The House is back in session this week following a monthlong August recess, with lawmakers seeking to complete action on a stopgap funding measure intended to avert a government shutdown before current funding expires on Sept. 30, during the 2026 election season.

The largest item on the chamber’s near-term agenda, according to The Hill, is a Senate-passed continuing resolution, commonly referred to as a CR. A CR is typically used when Congress and the White House have not completed final appropriations for the next fiscal period, and it extends funding authority for a limited time so agencies can keep operating while negotiations continue.

With Sept. 30 serving as the funding deadline, House leadership is aiming to move quickly enough to maintain appropriations coverage for federal departments and programs through the period after the existing cycle ends. The House calendar restart after the August recess is part of the push, as lawmakers attempt to align chamber action with the Senate’s already-completed work on the CR.

The House’s effort comes as members prepare to campaign during the 2026 cycle, which adds to the procedural and scheduling pressure around how quickly the chamber must address any remaining steps tied to the CR’s final disposition. If additional House action is required after the Senate’s passage, the chamber’s timing this week and in the days ahead is aimed at preventing a lapse that could interrupt government operations.

How the House handles the CR in the coming days will determine whether agencies continue receiving budget authority immediately after Sept. 30, or whether lawmakers must resort to another short-term funding extension. In general terms, once a CR is finalized and enacted, it provides a temporary legal framework for federal spending at specified levels and for specified durations, subject to the final terms agreed by Congress.

The Hill’s overview frames the week on Capitol Hill around competing priorities and the limited time remaining before the funding expiration date. Absent final appropriations, the CR approach is the primary legislative tool for avoiding a shutdown, but it also keeps unresolved questions from broader budget negotiations for a later window.

As of this week’s return, the central question for the House is whether it can move the Senate-passed CR through the chamber on a timeline that matches the Sept. 30 deadline, keeping funding continuity and reducing the risk of a government shutdown during the election-year stretch.