For the last several years, at this same time, we have warned that the specter of a government shutdown looms because Congress hasn’t finished one of the most important things they are supposed to do: fund the federal government for the coming fiscal year, which begins October 1.
Instead of the usual Democrat versus Republican fight, Republicans are also preparing for a showdown against their fellow Republicans ahead of the September 30 government funding deadline, with a possible shutdown hanging in the balance.
Since members of both parties already know they won’t pass the legislation needed to fund the government for the fiscal year 2025, they are planning to pass a bill called a Continuing Resolution, referred to as a CR, that will temporarily fund the government at the same level as it had been in the 2024 fiscal year. The CR has a deadline, and the purpose is to give them more time to reach an agreement.
However, like last year, the GOP is split over the length of a continuing resolution and whether other GOP priorities should be attached. Those differences will need to be resolved to pass the funding in the House, where Republicans only narrowly have control.
The outcome will determine whether federal agencies close down on October 1 or receive temporary funding until new fiscal 2025 spending is worked out.
They will have little time to resolve their differences because Congress is only in session 13 days this month before the deadline.
Democrats, meanwhile, are mostly united behind a short-term CR lasting into the lame-duck session that will occur after the November elections. They have the votes in the Senate to block any broader deal that the House Republican majority may end up passing, and Senate Democrats have sought to blame Republicans for veering toward a shutdown.
The hard-right House Freedom Caucus has called for a continuing resolution that would stretch into early next year “to avoid a lame duck omnibus that preserves Democrat spending and policies well into the next administration.” They hope to see former President Donald Trump back in office in January, when he could push conservative spending priorities.
However, despite conservative resistance, there is good reason to believe Congress will be able to avoid a government shutdown, mainly because the upcoming election means a shutdown could hurt Republicans politically in their battle to keep the House.
In addition to a handful of other important measures, Congress also needs to address an almost $15 billion shortfall at the Department of Veterans Affairs by September 20 to avoid missed benefits for veterans and their families.
