The December 11 deadline: shutdown risk, SNAP and the farm bill
Government funding runs out December 11, and a pile of other deadlines lands the same month. Here's what Congress has to settle after the election.
The deadlines
• December 11: the stopgap funding bill expires, along with highway programs and the National Flood Insurance Program.
• December 31: funding for community health centers (about 70% of their federal grants), a temporary Medicare doctor pay increase and several other health programs runs out.
• The 2018 farm bill's extension ended September 30.
Where things stand
The House has passed 3 of the 12 annual spending bills; the Senate has passed none. Disputes include defense versus non-defense spending, border and immigration enforcement funding, disaster aid, and how much power the White House has to withhold money Congress approved. A partial shutdown is possible if these aren't resolved.
On the farm bill, the House passed its version 224–200 in April and the Senate Agriculture Committee approved its own in September. The main fight is over making states share the cost of SNAP (food stamp) benefits; Senate Democrats want to delay that by two years.
The arguments
Those favoring spending restraint say deficits are too high, that programs like SNAP need stronger work incentives and state accountability, and that the administration should have flexibility to cut waste. Those opposed say cuts and cost shifts will hurt families and states already facing higher prices, and that withholding money Congress approved undermines its constitutional power of the purse.