Washington is already on the clock for the next shutdown fight. President Donald Trump signed H.R. 6500, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (P.L. 119-103), on Sept. 2, CRS Report R49353 explains. Division A funds agencies covered by all 12 regular appropriations bills from Oct. 1 through Dec. 11 — a 72-day bridge at largely FY2026 rates. CBO pegged annualized discretionary budget authority near $1.701 trillion.

If regular bills or another CR are not enacted, a funding gap can begin Dec. 12. The stopgap bans most “new starts,” limits high up-front obligations, and tells agencies to take only the most limited actions needed to continue existing work. Congress.gov records the measure as the vehicle that carried the short-term deal after a 90–6 Senate vote and a large House concurrence. Homeland Security’s Border Patrol and ICE pieces sit partly outside the usual CR baseline on reconciliation funding, but the December date still governs most of government.

For federal workers, contractors, and benefit offices, the stake is certainty through early winter — and another cliff in 10 weeks. Leadership must choose full-year deals, a short lame-duck CR, or brinkmanship. Watch October markups, anomaly requests, and whether December talks merge with pocket-rescission and DHS fights.

The path to P.L. 119-103 ran through a House-passed July CR, a bipartisan Senate substitute extending the date to Dec. 11 with added anomalies, a 90–6 Senate passage in August, and a 370–48 House concurrence on Sept. 1. That history matters because December talks will again mix must-pass funding with policy riders on rescissions, DHS, and defense.

What we know:
P.L. 119-103 funds most agencies through Dec. 11; a gap can begin Dec. 12 without new action; new starts are broadly barred.
What we don’t:
Whether December yields full-year bills, another short CR, or a shutdown showdown.