Congress scrambles to prevent government shutdown with another stopgap bill
By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square
With exactly two weeks until the federal government shuts down, lawmakers are running out of time to craft a government spending package and are scrambling to produce a temporary funding extension.
The stopgap, most likely to take the form of a six-month Continuing Resolution (CR), would mark the third time Congress punted the deadline to pass the 12 annual appropriations bills that provide money for federal agencies to spend on programs each year.
Congress passed CRs in September of 2024 and then in December of 2024, which kept government spending on federal programs at their current levels until March 14.
President Donald Trump endorsed the CR route on Truth Social Thursday night.
“As usual, Sleepy Joe Biden left us a total MESS. The Budget from last YEAR is still not done,” Trump said. “We are working very hard with the House and Senate to pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill (“CR”) to the end of September. Let’s get it done!”
Congress’ tight spot this time around results from how long Republican lawmakers took to agree on a $4.5 trillion congressional budget resolution, a domestic policy blueprint that lays out limits on spending for President Donald Trump’s policy priorities.
Another hurdle for Republicans was Democrats’ stalling on an omnibus top line number unless the appropriations package included a measure to ban the president from touching any approved funding from Congress.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., from the House and Senate Appropriations committees released a joint statement Friday expressing disappointment in how government funding talks have played out.
“Democrats have been working to pass bills that make sure Congress decides whether our schools or hospitals get funding – not Trump or [Elon] Musk,” they said. “As ever, we remain ready to work with our colleagues to pass full year appropriations bills and invest in families and our national security – and we hope Republicans will return to the table to do just that.”
Republican leaders will likely face pushback from members of their own party as well and are working to persuade fiscal hardliners that a CR is better than the alternative.
“Quickly approaching deadlines remind us that shutdowns benefit no one, and I am steadfastly committed to finishing our work,” House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla, said in a statement.