Congress Seeks to Pass CR to Avoid Government Shutdown; Both Chambers Drafting Legislation

With the looming appropriations deadline only two weeks away, Congress is working to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown. As previously reported by COSSA, while the House and Senate both began drafting their appropriations bills (see COSSA’s analysis of the House and Senate bills) with the House managing to pass five of their bills on the House floor while the Senate only advanced their respective bills through the Senate Appropriations Committee, both chambers have since turned to drafting CR legislation.

Last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) unveiled a six-month CR with House-passed legislation, the SAVE Act (HR 8281), seeking to require proof of U.S. citizenship to vote during federal elections. However, while the bill was originally scheduled to be voted on September 11, it was pulled from the House floor due to insufficient support. The House is expected to continue seeking support for their CR bill while the Senate is expected to unveil their respective bill later this week. With Congress departing for the campaign trail soon, it’s crunch time on the hill to avoid a government shutdown prior to the end of the fiscal year on September 30. 

Stay tuned to COSSA’s continued coverage of the appropriations process.