An American flag flies outside the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., U.S. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

The House passed the FY19 Financial Services appropriations measure Wednesday, but the bill has little chance of becoming law now, since the stalemate over federal funding for a wall along the U.S. southern border has stalled legislative action.

That stalemate has left many federal agencies closed.

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The bill is identical to one passed by the Senate last year. It calls for $250 million for the Community Development Financial Institutions program but does not contain any of the regulatory language pushed by House Republicans last year.

The Trump Administration immediately issued a veto threat for the Financial Services bill and three other spending measures House Democrats plan to bring to the floor.

"Moving these four bills without a broader agreement to address the border crisis is unacceptable," the administration said, in a Statement of Administration Policy.

But the bill could be form the basis for a Financial Services spending measure once the battle between President Trump and congressional Democrats is settled.

The NCUA has remained open because it is funded through fees paid by credit unions and the CFPB is open because it is funded through the Federal Reserve.

The Financial Services spending bill passed the House, 240-188.

New House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) called on the Senate to pass the bill.

"I hope that my colleagues across the Capitol come to their senses and stop this ridiculous, dangerous Trump shutdown," she said. "Unless Congress acts, the American people will continue to experience serious impacts from the shutdown.

But Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.) said the bill abandoned changes to the financial institution regulatory regime that were included in the spending bill the House passed last year.

"These provisions facilitated capital formation, enhanced our capital markets, and provided targeted relief to various institutions," Graves said during the debate. "More importantly, Mr. Speaker, it provided consumer protection, which I think, and I would hope is a bipartisan quest for us."

Last year's House bill included provisions that would have instituted a two-year delay of the NCUA's Risk-Based Capital Rule and would have placed the CFPB under the annual appropriations process.

Ironically, the CFPB remains open, but if it had been placed under the appropriations process, it now would be closed.

Meanwhile a group of Democratic lawmakers has introduced legislation that would protect federal workers and contractors their families from foreclosures, evictions and loan defaults during a government shutdown.

The protection would last during a shutdown and 30 days after the government reopens.

The bill sponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) would prohibit creditors from acting against workers affected by the shutdown.

"Right now, thousands of federal workers and their families are struggling to pay rent and make ends meet," Schatz said." It's absolutely unacceptable."

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