Congress has voted again to avert a partial government shutdown by passing another short stopgap spending measure, the fourth such bill since October. The extension gives him more time to resolve spending differences that would remain until Sept. 30, the end of the 2024 fiscal year.
Continuous resolution, or CR, has two endpoints. For six of the 12 individual agency credit accounts, the new deadline is March 8; the rest is March 22.
Most federal construction programs are under the March 8 deadline, including departmental ones. of Transportation and most of the Department of Energy, as well as military construction and civil works of the US Army Corps of Engineers.
The March 22 deadline applies to programs such as the construction of federal buildings by the General Services Administration and the construction of State Department embassies.
Final congressional approval came on February 29, when the Senate approved the CR on a 77-13 vote, sending it to the White House for President Joe Biden’s expected signature. The House had passed it earlier, 320 to 99.
The congressional vote is “good news for the American people,” Biden said in a statement. “But I want to be clear: this is a short-term solution, not a long-term solution..
In the coming days, Congress must do its job and pass year-round funding bills that deliver to the American people.”
Senate Appropriations Committeewoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement before the vote: “I am very pleased that we have a clear consensus that no one wants to see a government shutdown and that preventing one now will require a Very short CR. so we can continue to make good progress on our full year funding bills.”
Congressional negotiators are “really close” to an agreement on spending bills that would extend through fiscal year 2024, he said.
“I’ve been at the table for a long time, pushing to move forward every day, and we’re really close,” Murray added. “If bipartisan cooperation prevails, I am very confident that we will finally be able to close out our fiscal year 24. bills.”
