Potential Government Shutdown Looming

Congress has a week to finalize FY 2025 funding before the current continuing resolution (CR) keeping the government running expires on March 14. The options on the table to avoid a government shutdown include passing another short-term CR to allow one more attempt at finalizing 12 negotiated bills, or passing a long-term CR until September 30, the end of the fiscal year, allowing Congress to move on to the FY 2026 budget and appropriations process.

In December, when Congress punted the funding decisions to March, the political turmoil was just beginning to brew, which now has congressional Republicans divided about how to move forward with government funding, and Democrats dug in against any funding bill that does not reiterate the president’s requirement to fund programs as Congress intends and push back on what they see as his impoundment of funds.  

Some Republicans want less funding than a CR at current levels would provide, some want to finalize funding for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security and fund the rest of the government under a CR, and some are concerned about earmarks. House and Senate leadership continue their conversations across the Capitol and with the White House.

Meanwhile, regardless of what Republicans can agree to on funding, they cannot pass appropriations bills in the Senate without 60 votes, which requires the cooperation of at least seven Democrats. Unless there are assurances that the congressional intent of funding will be followed, getting Democratic votes seems unlikely.

For more information, please contact:
Stephanie Giesecke