President Trump Signs Spending Bill with Stopgap Funding through December 7

At a glance

• President Trump has signed a bill to fund the federal government through December 7, averting a federal shutdown on September 30.
• Immigration programs set to expire on September 30 will be reauthorized through December 7, including the E-Verify and EB-5 Regional Center programs.

The situation

Today, President Trump signed a spending bill containing a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government through December 7 while negotiations on the FY 2019 budget continue. Passage of the law averts a government shutdown after September 30.

In recent weeks, President Trump had signaled he would not sign the spending bill due to its lack of funding for a border wall with Mexico. However, shortly before the House of Representatives passed the bill earlier this week, President Trump stated his intention to sign the bill and avoid a government shutdown. 

What it means

The law ensures there will be no disruption to federal government operations through December 7 and extends until that date four immigration programs that were set to expire on September 30:

• The E-Verify electronic employment eligibility verification system;
• The EB-5 Regional Center permanent residence program for foreign investors;
• The Conrad 30 waiver program for foreign medical graduates who will work in areas of the United States that are underserved by physicians; and
• The special immigrant non-minister religious worker permanent residence program.

Congress will continue to work on the FY 2019 budget, including appropriations for the Departments of Homeland Security and State.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.