House lawmakers return to Capitol Hill as Republicans hope to pass stopgap spending bill – live

# Why This Matters The passage of a stopgap spending bill is critical because it determines whether federal agencies can continue operating and paying their employees, whether Social Security and Medicare benefits reach seniors, and whether essential services from air traffic control to food safety inspections continue uninterrupted. A government shutdown would immediately furlough hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay, delay benefit processing for millions of Americans, and create cascading economic disruptions—previous shutdowns have cost the economy billions in lost productivity and delayed federal contracts. By extending funding through September 30, lawmakers buy time to negotiate a full budget agreement, but the reliance on stopgap measures indicates deeper dysfunction in the appropriations process that leaves agencies unable to plan long-term investments in infrastructure, research, and public services. The Republican-controlled House's ability to pass this bill will signal whether the chamber can manage basic governing functions, a question that has become increasingly uncertain in recent years as partisan divisions have deepened.