Federal Spending
Congress Approves Stopgap Funding Measure, Averting Government Shutdown
Biden signs continuing resolution, keeping government open through Dec. 20
Illustration by Scott Hilling/ENR, original elements by Getty Images
Congress has avoided a partial shutdown of federal agencies, approving a short-term spending bill that continues the flow of funds to departments and agencies.
But the reprieve is temporary—the continuing resolution, or CR, only extends through Dec. 20. View the text of the CR here.
The final congressional actions on the CR came on Sept. 25 when the House approved the measure by a 341-82 vote and passage in the Senate in a 78-18 tally.
President Joe Biden signed the CR on Sept. 26, four days before the 2024 fiscal year expires. Missing the deadline would have resulted in closing 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 full-year spending bills through the regular process of subcommittee, committee and floor votes. But with the deadline looming, he said that "We are out of time."
Cole added, "We cannot afford a shutdown, which would be greatly damaging to our national security, to critical government programs and to the American people. Not to mention the enormous cost of government shutdowns."
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The White House Office of Management and Budget said in a Sept. 24 statement that it supported the CR. But OMB also said it that it is “deeply disappointed” about several omissions in the stopgap.
Among them are funds for disaster relief and aid to continue the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a Sept. 25 floor statement "Our work does not end here. My hope is that now we can get going in earnest on hammering out bipartisan, full-year funding bills—including providing long-overdue disaster assistance."
Lawmakers face tough debates in the next several months over spending for the rest of fiscal 2025. The relatively brief CR and the coming holiday season may put more pressure on legislators to strike a deal before the CR expires.
Moreover, the outcome of the spending picture is expected to be shaped in a post-election lame duck session by the results of the Nov. 5 elections, for both Houses of Congress and the White House.
The text of this article was updated on 9/27/2024 to reflect President Biden's signing of the measure.
