Continuing resolution

Last updated

In the United States, a continuing resolution (often abbreviated to CR) is a type of appropriations legislation. An appropriations bill is a bill that appropriates (gives to, sets aside for) money to specific federal government departments, agencies, and programs. The money provides funding for operations, personnel, equipment, and activities. [1] Regular appropriations bills are passed annually, with the funding they provide covering one fiscal year. The fiscal year is the accounting period of the federal government, which runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year. [2]

Contents

When Congress and the president fail to agree on and pass one or more of the regular appropriations bills, a continuing resolution can be passed instead. A continuing resolution continues the pre-existing appropriations at the same levels as the previous fiscal year (or with minor modifications) for a set amount of time. [1] Continuing resolutions typically provide funding at a rate or formula based on the previous year's funding. [3]

The funding extends until a specific date or regular appropriations bills are passed, whichever comes first. There can be some changes to some of the accounts in a continuing resolution. The continuing resolution takes the form of a joint resolution, and may provide bridging funding for existing federal programs at current, reduced, or expanded levels. [4]

Appropriations bills

An appropriations bill is a bill that appropriates (gives to, sets aside for) money to specific federal government departments, agencies, and programs. The money provides funding for operations, personnel, equipment, and activities. [1] Traditionally, regular appropriations bills are passed annually, with the funding they provide covering one fiscal year.

There are three types of appropriations bills: regular appropriations bills, continuing resolutions, and supplemental appropriations bills. [1] Regular appropriations bills are the twelve standard bills that cover the funding for the federal government for one fiscal year and that are supposed to be enacted into law by October 1. [5]

If Congress has not enacted the regular appropriations bills by the time, it can pass a continuing resolution, which continues the pre-existing appropriations at the same levels as the previous fiscal year (or with minor modifications) for a set amount of time. [1] The third type of appropriations bills are supplemental appropriations bills, which add additional funding above and beyond what was originally appropriated at the beginning of the fiscal year. Supplemental appropriations bills can be used for things like disaster relief. [6]

United States budget and spending process

The United States government operates on a budget calendar that runs from October 1 to September 30. Each year, Congress must appropriate a specific amount of money to each department, agency, and program to provide funding for operations, personnel, equipment, and activities. [1] Traditionally, the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate agree together on a budget resolution in the spring, that is then used to determine spending limits for twelve regular appropriations bills. The twelve appropriations bills then appropriate the funding for the federal government to use for the next budgetary year. The appropriations bills must be signed into the law by the President, although the budget resolution itself is not subject to his or her approval.

If Congress fails to appropriate the necessary funds for the federal government, the government shuts down as a result of the Antideficiency Act. [7] The law "forbids federal officials from entering into financial obligations for which they do not have funding," such as buying ink, paying for electricity, or paying employees. [7]

Congress can avoid a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution instead. [1]

Advantages and disadvantages

Standoffs between the President and Congress or between political parties, elections, and more urgent legislative matters complicate the budget process, frequently making the continuing resolution a common occurrence in American government. [8] They allow the government to take its time making difficult fiscal decisions.

Federal agencies are disrupted during periods of reduced funding. With non-essential operations suspended, many agencies are forced to interrupt research projects, training programs, or other important functions. Its impact on day-to-day management can be severe, costing some employees the equivalent of several months' time.[ citation needed ]

History

Between fiscal year 1977 and fiscal year 2015, Congress only passed all twelve regular appropriations bills on time in four years - fiscal years 1977, 1989, 1995, and 1997. [3]

Between 1980 and 2013, there were eight government shutdowns in the United States. [9] Most of these shutdowns revolved around budget issues including fights over the debt ceiling and led to the furlough of certain 'non-essential' personnel. The majority of these fights lasted 1–2 days with a few exceptions lasting more than a week.

There was a government shutdown that occurred in 1995. This incident involved a standoff between Democratic President, Bill Clinton, and Congressional Republicans that led to the shutdown of the federal government. [10] Without enough votes to override President Clinton's veto, Newt Gingrich led the Republicans not to submit a revised budget, allowing the previously approved appropriations to expire on schedule. The resulting lack of appropriations led to the shutdown of non-essential functions of the federal government for 28 days due to lack of funds.

In 2013, Congress failed to agree on any regular appropriations bills prior to the start of fiscal year 2014. An attempt was made to pass the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (H.J.Res 59) prior to October 1, but the House and Senate could not agree on its provisions, leading to the United States federal government shutdown of 2013. [11] [12] The shutdown of October 2013 involved a dispute over the continuing resolution in a standoff between Democratic President Barack Obama and Congressional Republicans led by House Speaker John Boehner. The forefront issue was House Republicans' attempt to tie a continuing resolution to a defunding or delay of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act while Senate Democrats insisted on a "clean" spending bill not tied to any other changes. [13]

The lack of agreement [14] led to a prolonged shutdown and furlough of more than 800,000 federal workers. The federal government resumed operations on October 17, 2013 after the passage of a continuing resolution, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014, that provided funding until January 15, 2014. [15] On January 15, 2014, Congress passed another continuing resolution, H.J.Res. 106 Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2014, to provide funding until January 18, 2014. [16] Congress finally passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, an omnibus appropriations bill, on January 17, 2014 to provide funding for the remaining fiscal year 2014. [17]

List of continuing resolutions for the U.S. federal budget

2001 U.S. federal budget

2002 U.S. federal budget

2003 U.S. federal budget

2007 U.S. federal budget

2008 U.S. federal budget

2009 U.S. federal budget

2010 U.S. federal budget

2011 U.S. federal budget

Beginning in September 2010, Congress passed a series of continuing resolutions to fund the government. [18]

2013 U.S. federal budget

The government began fiscal year 2013 operating under the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 (Pub. L. Tooltip Act of Congress#Public law, private law, designation  112–175 (text) (PDF)), which provided funding through March 27, 2013. It was signed by President Obama on September 28, 2012. [26] Spending through the end of fiscal year 2013 is authorized by the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013, signed into law by President Obama on March 26, 2013. [27]

2014 U.S. federal budget

2015 U.S. federal budget

2016 U.S. federal budget

2017 U.S. federal budget

2018 U.S. federal budget

2024 U.S. federal budget

2025 U.S. federal budget

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of Transportation</span> Federal executive department

The United States Department of Transportation is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet.

An omnibus spending bill is a type of bill in the United States that packages many of the smaller ordinary appropriations bills into one larger single bill that can be passed with only one vote in each house of Congress. There are twelve different ordinary appropriations bills that need to be passed each year to fund the federal government and avoid a government shutdown. An omnibus spending bill combines two or more of those bills into a single bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">112th United States Congress</span> 2011–2013 meeting of U.S. legislature

The 112th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2011, until January 3, 2013. It convened in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2011, and ended on January 3, 2013, 17 days before the end of the presidential term to which Barack Obama was elected in 2008. Senators elected to regular terms in 2006 completed those terms in this Congress. This Congress included the last House of Representatives elected from congressional districts that were apportioned based on the 2000 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antideficiency Act</span> Act of United States Congress

The Antideficiency Act (ADA) is legislation enacted by the United States Congress to prevent the incurring of obligations or the making of expenditures (outlays) in excess of amounts available in appropriations or funds. The law was initially enacted in 1884, with major amendments occurring in 1950 and 1982. It is now codified at 31 U.S.C. § 1341, § 1342, §§ 1349–1351 and §§ 1511–1519. The Act was previously enacted as section 3679 of the Revised Statutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of Defense</span> Executive department of the US federal government

The United States Department of Defense is an executive branch department of the federal government of the United States charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the U.S. government directly related to national security and the United States Armed Forces. As of November 2022, the U.S. Department of Defense is the second largest employer in the world—After India; and potentially China, if including the Central Military Commission. With over 1.4 million active-duty service personnel, including soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, and guardians. The Department of Defense also maintains over 778,000 National Guard and reservists, and over 747,000 civilians bringing the total to over 2.91 million employees. Headquartered at the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C., the Department of Defense's stated mission is "to provide the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">113th United States Congress</span> 2013–2015 legislative term

The 113th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Barack Obama's presidency. It was composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives based on the results of the 2012 Senate elections and the 2012 House elections. The seats in the House were apportioned based on the 2010 United States census. It first met in Washington, D.C., on January 3, 2013, and it ended on January 3, 2015. Senators elected to regular terms in 2008 were in the last two years of those terms during this Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">114th United States Congress</span> 2015–2017 legislative term

The 114th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 2015, to January 3, 2017, during the final two years of Barack Obama's presidency. The seats in the House were apportioned based on the 2010 United States census.

The 2011 United States federal budget was the United States federal budget to fund government operations for the fiscal year 2011. The budget was the subject of a spending request by President Barack Obama. The actual appropriations for Fiscal Year 2011 had to be authorized by the full Congress before it could take effect, according to the U.S. budget process.

The Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 is a US federal enactment, namely a temporary spending bill to fund the government for six months until March 27, 2013, in order to prevent an October 1, 2012 government shutdown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014</span> United States funding law

The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 is a law used to resolve both the United States federal government shutdown of 2013 and the United States debt-ceiling crisis of 2013. After the Republican-led House of Representatives could not agree on an originating resolution to end the government crisis, as had been agreed, the Democratic-led Senate used bill H.R. 2775 to resolve the impasse and to satisfy the Origination Clause requirement of Article One of the United States Constitution, which requires that revenue bills must originate in the House of Representatives. Traditionally, appropriation bills also originate in the House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013</span>

The Children’s Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013 is a law that amends the Public Health Service Act to authorize payments to children's hospitals for operating training programs that provide graduate medical education. The law authorizes funding for approximately 55 eligible hospitals across 30 different states. The Children’s Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013 became law during the 113th United States Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013</span> United States Law

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 is a federal statute concerning spending and the budget in the United States, that was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 26, 2013. On December 10, 2013, pursuant to the provisions of the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 calling for a joint budget conference to work on possible compromises, Representative Paul Ryan and Senator Patty Murray announced a compromise that they had agreed to after extended discussions between them. The law raises the sequestration caps for fiscal years 2014 and 2015, in return for extending the imposition of the caps into 2022 and 2023, and miscellaneous savings elsewhere in the budget. Overall, the bill is projected to lower the deficit by $23 billion over the long term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014</span> United States bill

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 is an omnibus spending bill that packages several appropriation bills together in one larger bill. The 113th United States Congress failed to pass any of the twelve regular appropriations bills before the beginning of Fiscal Year 2014. The Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 temporarily funded the government from October 1, 2013 to January 15, 2014. A second continuing resolution extended funding until January 18, 2014, giving both the House and the Senate enough time to vote on this bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2014</span> Funding measure in the United States

The bill H.J.Res. 106 is a continuing resolution that was introduced into the United States House of Representatives during the 113th United States Congress and was signed into law on January 15, 2014 by President Barack Obama. The bill amended the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014 to extend the time-period of funding provided by that continuing resolution from January 15, 2014 to January 18, 2014. The extension was intended to give Congress the extra time it needed to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, which would provide the rest of the appropriations for fiscal year 2014. The fiscal year in the United States is the 12-month period beginning on October 1 and ending on September 30 of the next calendar year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appropriations bill (United States)</span> Bill which allocates government spending

In the United States Congress, an appropriations bill is legislation to appropriate federal funds to specific federal government departments, agencies and programs. The money provides funding for operations, personnel, equipment and activities. Regular appropriations bills are passed annually, with the funding they provide covering one fiscal year. The fiscal year is the accounting period of the federal government, which runs from October 1 to September 30 of the following year. Appropriations bills are under the jurisdiction of the United States House Committee on Appropriations and the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations. Both committees have twelve matching subcommittees, each tasked with working on one of the twelve annual regular appropriations bills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015</span>

The Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015 is a continuing resolution and United States public law that funded the federal government of the United States through December 11, 2014 by appropriating $1 trillion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016</span> Omnibus spending bill, passed by the US Congress in 2015

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016, also known as the 2016 omnibus spending bill, is the United States appropriations legislation passed during the 114th Congress which provides spending permission to a number of federal agencies for the fiscal year of 2016. The bill authorizes $1.1 trillion in spending, as well as $700 billion in tax breaks. The bill provides funding to the federal government through September 30, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education for Economic Security Act</span> 1984 United States education law

The Education for Economic Security Act is a United States federal education law that was enacted in 1984. It provided funding for programs to support schools and teachers in the instruction of math and science, including grants, awards, and scholarships. The act funded teacher training programs and awarded schools and teachers that excelled in the instruction of math and science. The act also developed a program to combat asbestos in schools, fund magnet schools, and protect students from religious discrimination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 United States federal budget</span> US budget from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2023

The United States federal budget for fiscal year 2023 ran from October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023. The government was initially funded through a series of three temporary continuing resolutions. The final funding package was passed as an omnibus spending bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Tollestrup, Jessica (February 23, 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ Heniff Jr., Bill (November 26, 2012). "Basic Federal Budgeting Terminology" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Tollestrup, Jessica (February 23, 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. p. 12. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  4. ↑ "U.S. Senate: Reference > Home > Glossary > continuing resolution/continuing appropriations" . Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  5. ↑ Tollestrup, Jessica (February 23, 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. pp. 10–11. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  6. ↑ Tollestrup, Jessica (February 23, 2012). "The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. p. 13. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Cohen, Andrew (September 28, 2013). "The Odd Story of the Law That Dictates How Government Shutdowns Work". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  8. ↑ "CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS Uncertainty Limited Management Options and Increased Workload in Selected Agencies" (PDF). Government Accountability Office. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Start Getting Ready for the Next Government Shutdown". Bloomberg. October 10, 2013. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Government shutdown looms". CNN. November 11, 1995. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
  11. ↑ "H.J.Res 59 - Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  12. ↑ Bolton, Alexander (September 30, 2013). "Senate rejects House funding bill with government shutdown in clear sight". The Hill. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Government shutdown: Americans hurt as DC 'squabbles like kids'". CNN. October 1, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Government shutdown: Americans hurt as DC 'squabbles like kids'". CNN. October 1, 2013. Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  15. ↑ Nakamura, David; Kane, Paul; Montgomery, Lori (October 16, 2013). "Congress sends Obama bill to end shutdown". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  16. 1 2 Kasperowicz, Pete (January 10, 2014). "Next Week: Time to pass a spending bill (or two)". The Hill. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  17. ↑ "H.R. 3547 - All Actions". United States Congress. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Status of Appropriations Legislation for Fiscal Year 2011". THOMAS. Library of Congress. April 5, 2011. Archived from the original on April 7, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
  19. ↑ "www.usgs.gov/budget/whats_new.asp". Archived from the original on November 7, 2010. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Committee on Appropriations". Appropriations.house.gov. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  21. ↑ Murray, Shailagh; Sonmez, Felicia; Montgomery, Lori (March 2, 2011). "Obama signs short-term spending bill, averting federal shutdown". Washington Post. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  22. ↑ Steinhauer, Jennifer (March 18, 2011). "House Votes to End Money for NPR, and Senate Passes Spending Bill". The New York Times. p. A20. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  23. ↑ Shear, Michael D. (April 9, 2011). "Deal at Last Minute Averts Shutdown; Nearly $40 Billion in Cuts Are Outlined". The New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  24. ↑ Silverleib, Alan; Cohen, Tom (April 8, 2011). "Democrats, Republicans agree on a budget deal". CNN.com. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  25. ↑ Hulse, Carl (April 8, 2011). "No Accord in Budget Talks as Policy Fights Hamper Deal". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
  26. ↑ "Status of Appropriations Legislation for Fiscal Year 2013". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  27. ↑ "H.R.933 - Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013". Library of Congress. March 26, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  28. ↑ Montgomery, Lori; Helderman, Rosalind S. (October 16, 2013). "Obama signs bill to raise debt limit, reopen government". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  29. 1 2 Shabad, Rebecca (September 17, 2014). "House approves $1T spending bill". The Hill. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  30. ↑ "H.J.Res.124 - All Actions". United States Congress. September 19, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  31. ↑ "BUDGET BULLETIN: 2016 Continuing Resolution - Press Releases - Media - U.S. Senate Budget Committee". US Senate. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  32. ↑ Martin Matishak (September 29, 2015). "Once Again, Congress Will Kick the Budget Can Down the Road" . Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  33. ↑ "U.S. Senate roll call vote" . Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  34. ↑ "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 573" . Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Signed Legislation". whitehouse.gov . Retrieved September 30, 2016– via National Archives.
  36. ↑ "H.R. 5235 Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act" (PDF).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.