Hemp provision became point of contention

WASHINGTON • The U.S. Senate in an overnight vote Saturday approved a short-term measure to fund federal agencies into early December and avoid a government shutdown during the middle of campaign season.

The late-summer action on a funding fix is unusual. Normally, Congress waits until the final days or hours of a funding deadline to pass short-term patches, but, this time, senators acted nearly two months before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

The 90-6 vote showed lawmakers are still smarting from the two historic shutdowns that occurred this past year and want to avoid another before voters go to the polls.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune wanted the funding dealt with before the lawmakers go home for the next five weeks to focus on their reelection campaigns and other matters. It got caught up with other issues that pushed votes into the night, but the bill had broad bipartisan support.

The U.S. House will also have to approve the measure when members return from their August recess before it can go to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.

The bill generally funds the federal government at current levels through Dec. 11, but it includes a variety of exceptions that senators negotiated with the White House.

Democrats secured language to ensure no money could be transferred to the Border Patrol. They also rejected the White House’s request of $1 billion for early work on a new “Trump-class” battleship that the administration announced on Dec. 22.

Hemp provision became a point of contention

The bill includes language delaying a national ban on most intoxicating hemp products.

That one-month delay prompted pushback from some Senate Republicans, who said that too many such products are falling into the hands of often unsuspecting children. The packaging of the products often relies on bright colors and intentionally mimics popular snack brands to attract consumers.

Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., said that, since 2017, there has been nearly a 10-fold increase in cannabis-related emergency room visits by minors in his home state.

“This is a public health crisis that deserves this Senate’s immediate attention,” Budd said. “Our children should never be the testing ground for an industry willing to exploit a loophole in federal law for profit.”

The hemp industry countered that the delay buys time for Congress to craft legislation that protects hemp farmers and businesses while also putting in place safeguards to protect children.

Trump himself has called Budd to discuss the issue, though the president did not specifically ask the senator to drop his effort, Budd’s spokesman said.

“Senator Budd had a friendly phone call with President Trump discussing the legislative efforts regarding THC,” said spokesman Christian McMullen.

He said the senator outlined his concerns about “any delay to closing the hemp loophole.”

Budd tried to strip the hemp delay from the bill, but the Senate turned aside his effort.

A Colorado man has been at the forefront of efforts to delay the federal ban on hemp.

Bret Worley, 30, of Denver is the chief executive of MC Nutraceuticals, which claims to be “the largest global supplier of cannabinoids.” Worley is a member of the board of the trade group Hemp Industry & Farmers of America, which has spent $445,000 on lobbying Congress.

In 2025, the Worleys and their companies agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a consumer protection investigation into their hemp products by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office. The settlement document stated that the investigation by the attorney general’s office found the companies misrepresented to consumers “the source, quality, characteristics, ingredients and/or health benefits of their products.” The companies also falsely claimed to be operating in Texas when in fact the companies operated solely in Colorado, according to the settlement.

The companies agreed in the settlement to set up an age-verification system for their hemp products.

In December, the Worleys and the companies also agreed to pay a new fine of $75,000 for continuing to solicit Colorado consumers when the attorney general said their products are prohibited from being sold in Colorado. The new settlement stated the com

Democratic lawmakers, along with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also got language in the funding bill that would block, for the duration of the funding patch, new regulations on federal grants.

The regulations would require a senior political appointee to review grants before they are awarded to ensure, among other things, that they advance the president’s policy priorities. Democrats charged it’s an effort to kill grants destined for Democratic-leaning states.

The White House Office of Management and Budget said its effort is about improving accountability to ensure taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted or misused.

The issue will likely reemerge in future negotiations on a full-year spending measure.

Denver Gazette reporter Christopher Osher and The Associated Press contributed to this article.