On December 9, the Senate approved by a vote of 63 to 36 a measure to extend current government funding levels for most federal agencies through April 28. A continuing resolution (CR) was set to end at midnight on December 9, so the Senate was able to narrowly avoid a government shutdown. The House approved the measure on December 8 by a vote of 326 to 96. The President signed the CR into law before the midnight deadline.

In the Senate, a dispute over expiring health insurance and pension benefits for retired coal miners led several senators to threaten to hold up the spending bill. Ultimately, they opted not to force a government shutdown over the issue.