House approves stopgap funding to avert a government shutdown

The House passed a short-term funding bill to prevent a federal shutdown, funding agencies at current levels through December 11 and buying time for a broader, full-year package. The measure, praised as an improved version from earlier this summer, also blocks DHS transfers to Border Patrol and delays a rule that would expand presidential authority over grants. Democrats worry the administration could use the grants rule to shift disaster-relief funding away from Democratic-led states, while leadership argues the stopgap is a necessary step to reach a bipartisan agreement.