With government funding set to expire at midnight on November 17, Congress passed what is being called a “laddered” continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a shutdown and keep the government running into next year.

The new CR sets two different expiration dates for two blocks of spending bills, hence the ladder moniker. The first block of bills expires on January 19, 2024, and covers what are deemed to be less controversial funding areas, including Agriculture, Energy and Water, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD. Meanwhile, the second block of bills expires on February 2, and includes funding for Commerce-Science-Justice, Defense, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Interior-EPA, Labor-HHS-Education, the Legislative Branch, and State-Foreign Ops.

The CR also extends authorization of the 2018 Farm Bill, which includes the nutrition assistance programs SNAP and WIC, until Sept 30, 2024, to give negotiators more time to finalize an updated bill.

The CR passed in the House of Representatives by a bipartisan vote of 336-95, with 93 Republicans voting against the bill because it does not further reduce spending. The Senate passed the CR by a bipartisan vote of 87-11.