U.S. House clears procedural vote, setting stage to end federal government shutdown

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a key procedural vote, moving the federal government shutdown toward its final stages.

According to Walter Bloomberg, an economy breaking-news account, the House on the 3rd (local time) approved the critical procedural motion needed to take up the budget bill. This clears the way for the budget process for fiscal 2026 (FY2026) to move forward in earnest.

With the procedural vote’s passage, the House plans to hold final votes later that day on 11 of the 12 appropriations bills. If those measures are enacted, they are expected to eliminate the funding gap that triggered the shutdown.

Earlier, the U.S. federal government entered a shutdown phase in which some administrative functions were suspended due to delays in processing the budget bill. In markets and within and outside the administration, the procedural vote had been viewed as a key turning point for ending the shutdown.

The timing of the shutdown’s end is expected to be determined by the House’s final vote results and the pace of action in the Senate.