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. See the text of the CR here.
Final congressional action on the CR occurred on September 25 when the House approved the measure by a vote of 341 to 82; later the same day, the Senate approved it, by a count of 78-18.
President Joe Biden signed the CR on Sept. 26, four days before it expired in fiscal year 2024. Missing the deadline would have resulted in the shutdown of 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 supported the CR. But 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.
Story updated 9/27/2024 with Biden signing the measure.
