Trump signs stopgap spending bill to avert government shutdown

Washington — President Trump signed a stopgap government spending bill just after midnight Thursday that funds the government into December, averting a partial government shutdown.

The measure was passed with bipartisan support by the Senate on Wednesday and approved by the House last week. It was sent to the White House on Wednesday evening and signed by Mr. Trump after he returned to Washington, D.C., from a campaign swing through Minnesota, White House spokesman Judd Deere said.

The bill, known as a continuing resolution, keeps the government funded through December 11 and delays further congressional debate on routine government spending until after the presidential election. Negotiations over a new relief bill to address the coronavirus crisis are continuing.

While funding officially lapsed at midnight and Mr. Trump signed the bill after the deadline, federal operations were unaffected.

The spending bill is the result of a bipartisan deal between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It includes an additional $8 billion for nutrition assistance programs and renews provisions of public health and transportation programs.