House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said Tuesday that he’s pushing for a stopgap that punts this month’s threat of a government shutdown into November to buy time for funding talks.

Congress has until Sept. 30 to strike a deal to keep the government funded or risk its first shutdown in years.

Asked for his preferred timeline for a stopgap, which would freeze funding at current levels while lawmakers negotiate a bill for fiscal 2026, Cole said Tuesday that he wants to see a stopgap “into November.”

Cole said lawmakers are specifically discussing kicking the deadline into as early as Nov. 6, but added, “The latest we would go would be pre-Thanksgiving, like the 20th.”

“My aim is to try to get to a negotiated agreement on all 12 bills,” he said, referring to the 12 ann

See Full Page