WASHINGTON
September 3, 2026 · 00:02 UTC
President signed stopgap funding bill to keep government open through December 11 2026
“Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027,”
Overview
On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the President signed into law: H.R. 6500, the “Continuing and Extensions Act, 2027,” which includes a short-term continuing resolution that provides fiscal year 2027 appropriations to Federal agencies through December 11, 2026, for continuing projects and activities of the Federal Government, and extends authorities for a broad range of
Short history
The federal government ran on a continuing resolution that funded operations through September 30, 2026. Congress passed H.R. 6500 on September 2, 2026. President signed it into law the same day. The act sets new appropriations for all federal agencies through December 11, 2026. It also extends several existing federal authorities that would have expired.
Constitutional analysis
The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse in Article I, Section 9, Clause 7: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” The founders designed this to keep the executive on a short leash and force regular accountability to the people’s representatives. The First Congress passed the Appropriations Act of 1789 to fund the new government for a single year, setting the pattern of annual budgets rather than open-ended spending. Washington and the early Congresses treated each funding cycle as a fresh chance to review what the government was actually doing. H.R. 6500 keeps every federal agency running on autopilot through December 11 without new debate over priorities or waste. This continuing resolution hands the executive branch months of blank-check authority that the framers never intended. The founders expected lawmakers to weigh each dollar against the enumerated powers and refuse the rest. Short-term extensions like this one weaken that constitutional check and let spending drift further from the consent of the governed.
Primary sources