U.S. Senate finishes weekend session after confirming Todd Blanche, extends funding through early December

The U.S. Senate ended a long weekend voting sequence early Saturday morning without a government shutdown, after completing floor actions that included the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general and passage of a measure to fund federal operations through the beginning of December.

According to The Hill, the Senate’s work concluded after a series of votes that culminated in the end-of-session funding action, preventing a lapse in appropriations while lawmakers continue negotiating broader policy items for the fall legislative calendar.

Even with the funding agreement in place, the Senate did not clear all of President Donald Trump’s stated priorities from the legislative package it was considering, The Hill reported. The article said the chamber did not pass voting security legislation that Trump and administration allies had urged lawmakers to approve.

The Hill reported that Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) warned that the Senate would not deliver the voting security bill before it recessed, framing the timeline issue around the sequence of confirmations and spending votes the chamber had already completed.

The weekend outcome leaves Congress with continuing funding authority but without action on the specific voting-related legislation that Trump highlighted as a priority, as the Senate heads into its next schedule window for further negotiations and potential floor consideration.

For the Trump administration, the confirmation outcome means the Department of Justice leadership change resulting from Blanche’s Senate confirmation can proceed within the confines of the government’s appropriations status, while broader policy efforts tied to voting security remain unresolved pending additional Senate and House action.

The Senate’s next steps are expected to turn on whether leaders can bring voting security legislation back to the floor and secure sufficient support, while also managing the continuing resolution’s expiration window at the beginning of December.