Congress has avoided a partial shutdown of federal agencies by passing a short-term spending bill that continues the flow of funds to departments and agencies.
But the suspension is temporary: the continuing resolution, or CR, only extends until December 20. Consult the text of the CR here.
Final congressional action on the CR came on September 25, when the House passed the measure by a vote of 341-82 and the Senate passed it later that day by a vote of 78-18.
The last step in the process would be the signing of the measure by President Joe Biden. He is scheduled to sign the CR by Sept. 30, when fiscal year 2024 ends. Failure to meet the deadline would shut down some federal agencies.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said in a Sept. 24 floor statement that “governance by continuing resolution is not ideal.”
Cole said he would prefer to pass the full year’s spending bills through the usual process of subcommittee, committee and floor votes. But as the deadline approaches, he said, “We’re running out of time.”
Cole added: “We cannot afford a shutdown, which would be very damaging to our national security, critical government programs and the American people. Not to mention the enormous cost of government shutdowns.”
The White House Office of Management and Budget said andna statement of September 24 that it supports the CR. But the OMB also said it is “deeply disappointed” by several omissions in the cap.
Among them are funds for disaster relief and help to continue the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a Sept. 25 statement, “Our work does not end here. My hope is that now we can begin in earnest to develop bipartisan funding bills for the full year … including providing long-overdue disaster assistance.”
Lawmakers face tough debates in the coming months over spending for the rest of fiscal year 2025. The relatively short CR and the upcoming holiday season may put more pressure on lawmakers to reach a deal before the expiration of CR.
In addition, the results of the November 5 elections for both Houses of Congress and the White House are expected to be determined in a post-election session.
