Senate approves bipartisan funding extension, delaying hemp product ban and border patrol spending

Early Saturday, the Senate easily cleared a bipartisan continuing resolution, extending government funding until Dec. 11 and providing roughly ten additional weeks for FY 2027 appropriations. The vote, 90-6, followed a protracted negotiation over THC-infused hemp product sales, resulting in a four-week postponement of the ban originally set for Nov. 12. Senators Ted Budd and Pete Ricketts attempted to strip that provision, but their amendment was tabled 61-32.

The legislation also blocks a rule that would require senior political appointees to approve grants and closes a loophole that could have funneled extra money to Border Patrol, satisfying Democratic concerns. While the House passed a leaner extension earlier, it must now consider the Senate version when it returns in the first week of September. The bill includes extensions for surface transportation funding and two-year economic agreements with sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti, as well as accelerated Navy shipbuilding funds but excludes a $1 billion request for new “Trump-class” battleships.