Update on Government Funding for Fiscal Year 2024

SUMMARY:  With government funding set to expire Saturday night, the Senate is considering a Continuing Resolution (CR) that would fund the government through November 17, while House Republicans continue to push for significant funding cuts and controversial policy riders in any FY 2024 funding package, leading to a growing likelihood of a government shutdown. 

Government funding is set to expire Saturday night, September 30, but with House Republicans unwilling to compromise and calling for extreme cuts to funding and controversial policy riders, it is unclear how the House and Senate can reach a deal in time to avert a government shutdown. 

Last night, the Senate voted to proceed to legislation that would fund the government at its current levels through November 17 and provide additional funding for Ukraine and disaster assistance.  The bill also includes language that would protect the current pay of wildland firefighters.  While the bill has strong bipartisan support, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has vowed to block efforts to speed up consideration of the bill over aid to Ukraine, meaning that the Senate may not be able to vote on the bill until Sunday after government funding has already expired.

Meanwhile, House Republicans voted last night to proceed to consideration of four appropriations bills that would fund the Department of Defense (H.R. 4365), Department of Homeland Security (H.R. 4367), Department of State (H.R. 4665), and the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration (H.R. 4368) and related agencies.  However, since these bills carry several controversial policy provisions and include extreme cuts to funding for many NTEU-represented agencies, they are not expected to gain the bipartisan support needed to become law and actually fund the government.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced plans to introduce his own CR later this week that would also include these controversial provisions that face bipartisan opposition in the Senate and are opposed by the White House.  It is not yet clear how long this potential CR would last or what funding levels would be included.  He has also indicated that if the House were to take up the CR currently being considered in the Senate, House Republicans would add these controversial provisions before sending it back to the Senate.  Since Senate Republicans and Democrats oppose including these provisions, either scenario essentially ensures a continued stalemate.

Given the lack of agreement and the fact that we are only three days from the deadline to pass a bill to fund the government past the end of the fiscal year, the likelihood of a shutdown is extremely high.  NTEU will continue to advocate against a shutdown and press for adequate funding for our agencies in a final funding agreement.  I will keep you updated on these developments.  For more information click here, and continue to be on the lookout for grassroots alerts to your personal email.

                                                                                    Doreen P. Greenwald

                                                                                    National President