With the new fiscal year starting October 1, 2023, and wide gaps between the House and Senate on spending bills, it is clear a continuing resolution (CR) will be needed to keep federal programs funded from October 1 until final fiscal year 2024 (FY24) appropriations bills are enacted. If Congress cannot agree on the content of a CR and enact one by October 1 then the federal government will shut down and all annually appropriated services will grind to a halt. Any shutdown is expected to be very short.

To be enacted, It appears a successful CR would have to include not just continued federal funding but also supplemental funding for disasters, aid to Ukraine, and other additional funding the Biden Administration is seeking. One scenario is that Congress would pass a CR to fund programs from October 1 until early December. After a new agreement on spending caps, Congress would work to pass the 12 spending bills before the expiration of the CR or again risk a shutdown.

Earlier this year, the White House, Senate, and House agreed to overall spending caps and the Senate proceeded to pass 12 bills from its appropriations committee that complied with those levels. But the House took the deal’s spending caps and cut them further before it passed bills from committee at very reduced levels, leaving vast differences between many of the respective House and Senate bills; this turn of events led to today’s impasse that requires a CR.

During the week of September 11, the Senate is expected to demonstrate its ability to pass spending bills with bi-partisan support when it brings a package of three FY24 bills, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Military Construction/VA, and Agriculture bills, to the Senate floor.

Aging services stakeholders are urged to contact their members of Congress in support of strong funding for programs.