government shutdown
Government Shutdown
The Latest on the Government Shutdown and Funding Efforts
On February 29, the House and Senate successfully passed a stopgap bill. This legislative action ensures that the government will continue to operate without interruption at least until the next deadlines. The Senate’s approval came with a 77 to 13 vote, showcasing bipartisan support for the measure. The bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 1. The stopgap bill is a temporary solution, extending funding until March 8 for a significant portion of government spending, based on a prior agreement aimed at providing a substantial portion of government funding. The remaining federal government funds are set to…
Congress Narrowly Passes CR to Extend Funding to March
As reported by COSSA, Congress previously passed two stop-gap measures to allow additional time to complete the fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations bills. On January 18, the day before the last continuing resolution (CR) deadline, the House and Senate struck a deal to extend funding to March. Like the previous CR, the new stop-gap measure includes “tiered deadlines” for the unpassed spending bills. The deadline for the first tranche of bills (the Military Construction-VA, Agriculture, Energy-Water and Transportation-HUD bills) has been extended to March 1. The remaining bills (including Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Commerce, Justice Science, which…
Funding Deal Struck: House and Senate Leaders Take First Step Towards Avoiding Government Shutdown
On Sunday, House and Senate leaders took the first step to avoiding a government shutdown by reaching an agreement to fund the federal government for the rest of fiscal year (FY) 2024. This agreement includes a total of $1.66 trillion for discretionary spending in FY 2024. The spending is divided into $886.3 billion for defense and $772.7 billion for domestic discretionary spending. This allocation adheres to the previous deal between President Biden and then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, which included a $69 billion side deal for non-defense discretionary funding to keep those accounts whole. Under the agreement, the defense budget will receive a 3…
Newly Elected House Speaker Mike Johnson Releases Appropriations Schedule Amidst Risk Government Shutdown
On October 25, Mike Johnson (R-LA) stepped into the pivotal role of Speaker of the House, a position that demands immediate attention to pressing challenges, including a potential government shutdown in the coming weeks, and crucial decisions regarding U.S. financial support for Ukraine and Israel. Throughout his career, Johnson has been known for his strong conservative stances on social issues, particularly anti-abortion policies and restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights. As a staunch conservative, he has also been an active participant in the House’s impeachment inquiry into President Biden. What may further complicate funding agreements, President Biden has requested $106 billion in supplemental…
Government Shutdown Narrowly Avoided: What’s Inside the Temporary Funding Bill?
After tense negotiations and a race against time, Congress approved a stopgap funding bill on Saturday which will last until November 17, preventing a looming federal shutdown. President Biden signed the bill into law, ensuring that the U.S. government will continue to operate without interruptions. Key provisions include: What’s the path forward? The approval of this temporary measure is only a short-term solution, and Congress will need to regroup to find a more lasting resolution by November 17. Several potential flashpoints and challenges loom on the horizon. The question of aid to Ukraine will be front and center. Additionally, the decision by…
President Signs One-Month Continuing Resolution, Temporarily Averting Government Shutdown
The President signed a one-month continuing resolution (CR) on November 21 to keep the government operating at fiscal year (FY) 2019 levels until December 20. FY 2020 began on October 1 and while both the House of Representatives and the Senate have made progress on passing individual bills, contentious issues like top-line funding levels and funding for a wall on the southern U.S. border have kept Congress from finalizing FY 2020 spending. A notable exception to the flat funding required by the CR is additional funding authority given to the Census Bureau as the agency prepares for the 2020 Decennial…
Senate Continues to Debate Spending Bills as CR End Looms
The federal government is currently operating under a continuing resolution (CR), a stopgap measure that has frozen funding for federal agencies at FY 2019 levels, which is set to expire on November 21. While the House had passed 10 of the 12 appropriations bills through the chamber before the summer recess, the Senate is beginning to make progress as well. It too has passed 10 of the 12 bills out of committee and is currently debating a package of four bills on the Senate floor. While the Senate is certainly making up for lost time, there have been reports that…
Government Reopens; Final Funding for FY 2019 Still Unclear
Following the longest partial-government shutdown in U.S. history and the passage of a short-term stopgap measure to reopen the government, the fate of fiscal year (FY) 2019 appropriations is still unclear. On January 25, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to reopen all federal agencies until February 15, allowing more time to negotiate a compromise on border security—the policy issue at the center of the government funding debate. While the timing for finalizing FY 2019 spending remains uncertain, negotiations on all spending levels (except for Homeland Security) have been finalized. The end product for agencies awaiting their final appropriation is…
Committees Begin to Announce Leadership, Membership as FY 2019 Funding Remains Uncertain
While some parts of the federal government, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of the Interior, and the Census Bureau, remain closed as part of the partial government shutdown, Congress is at work organizing committees, selecting leaders, and preparing for the work of the 116th Congress. Many Congressional leadership positions important to the social and behavioral sciences have been announced over the past few weeks. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have both announced their subcommittee leadership, and while leadership on Senate subcommittees important to the social and behavioral sciences will remain…
NSF Releases Information for Proposers and Grantees During Government Shutdown
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is one of many government agencies currently closed due to the partial government shutdown, which has now stretched into its fourth week. NSF has issued guidance for proposers and grantees on how proposal submissions and existing grants are affected by the government shutdown. While the government shutdown continues, no new funding opportunities will be issued. However, proposal preparation and submission for existing opportunities will be available through FastLane and Research.gov, and proposal submissions will continue to be accepted and expected to follow existing deadlines. More information is available on the NSF website, though it is…
Government Shutdown Continues into Third Week, Leaving Uncertainty for FY 2019
The partial government shutdown has stretched into its third week, leaving many government agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of the Interior, and the Census Bureau, shuttered. Unlike government shutdowns of the recent past, this shutdown is not related to disputed funding levels, but rather policy disagreements and political maneuvering. This means that we already have an idea of what the final funding numbers will be once the policy impasse has cleared, as Congress has already negotiated most of its appropriations bills. Once funding is finalized, COSSA will release an analysis…
After Three-Day Shutdown, Congress Passes Funding through February 8
Congressional leaders came to an agreement on January 22 to reopen the government after a three-day shutdown by passing another stopgap spending bill, this time to keep the government open and flat-funded until February 8. Fiscal year (FY) 2018 started October 1, 2017 and Congress has yet to pass any appropriation bills for the year. Congress came to the funding impasse on January 19 after the Senate failed to reach an agreement on immigration policy, which will now likely occupy much of Congress’ energy until the continuing resolution expires on February 8, at which point the federal government could be…