Update on Government Funding for Fiscal Year 2024

SUMMARY:  With government funding set to expire on November 17, the House and Senate appear no closer to a deal to fund the federal government. 

Government funding is set to expire on November 17, but little progress has been made on a final funding agreement or on a continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a shutdown.  The Senate recently passed a “minibus” appropriations package containing three of the 12 appropriations bills with strong bipartisan support.  The funding levels in this package, along with the remining funding bills that passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, are consistent with those in the debt limit deal that passed earlier this year.  Given the time constraints for passing additional minibus appropriations packages, there is talk of combining the remaining nine appropriations bills into a “megabus” for consideration in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile the House has continued to work on its appropriations bills, passing seven of the 12 so far.  However, due to significant funding cuts that go beyond those in the debt limit agreement and controversial policy riders, the bills have had very little bipartisan support.  

While the White House and the majority of Congressional Democrats are pushing for a CR with the President’s supplemental funding request—which includes additional funding for the border, including funding for 1,000 more CBP Officers, Ukraine, Israel, and other time-sensitive priorities—House Republicans have yet to settle on one solution and are still having internal disputes about how to move forward.  One option they are considering is a clean funding bill until mid-January.  Another option being floated is a “laddered” CR.  While it is unclear how a “laddered” CR would work, it is rumored to extend funding for some easier-to-pass funding bills until December while setting the deadline for the others in January.  This would face opposition in the Senate and appears to be a way to force additional funding deadlines and ensure some agencies are funded while others are at risk of a shutdown.  Some Republican lawmakers are also supporting adding the supplemental spending request to the CR as well as a statutory debt commission, a common proposal that has historically been used to justify cuts to federal employee pay and benefits.  Others are looking to add controversial immigration provisions to any CR, which could trigger a shutdown. 

We will continue to advocate against a shutdown and press for adequate funding for our agencies in a final funding agreement.  For more information click here and continue to be on the lookout for grassroots alerts to your personal email.

                                                                                    Doreen P. Greenwald

                                                                                    National President