As expected, Congress passed a three-month budget extension on a bipartisan vote to avert a possible federal government shutdown ahead of the October 1 start of the federal fiscal year. The continuing resolution funds federal government programs through December 20. Congress must resolve differences on many issues before it can reach agreement on final budgets. It is likely that the unresolved issue of additional funding for disaster assistance and recovery programs at FEMA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development supported by the National League of Cities (NLC) will receive more focus when Congress takes up the budget again after the election.
For more information, see the NLC article.
Three-month budget extension proposed to avoid threat of federal government shutdown
September 24, 2024
As federal budget negotiations continue and the September 30 deadline looms, Congress is expected to vote on a temporary three-month continuing budget resolution without any ties to other legislation, to avoid shutting down the federal government beginning on October 1.
House leadership is expected to introduce the temporary budget extension on September 25. On September 19, a six-month funding proposal failed that was tied to legislation that would have required proof of citizenship for voter registration, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. Meanwhile, the Senate has also expressed support for temporary funding through the end of the year.
Reaching an agreement to continue federal government operations is important to cities. A federal shutdown can mean a delay in federal funding distributions or a pause in federally funded programs and services like passport processing and some inspections. It can also mean temporary closures of federal facilities like national parks. It may also mean federal employees will not be paid during a shutdown. Mandatory programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security checks are not affected by a shutdown.
Last year, the federal government avoided shutdowns with a series of short-term continuing resolutions and attempts to pass the less controversial budgets and extend timelines for the more controversial ones. The last federal government shutdown in 2018-2019 lasted 34 days, and the previous shutdown in 1995-1996 lasted 21 days.
Here are some additional resources recommended by NLC: