When Congress returns to work next week, they face another approaching deadline: the end of the fiscal year and the need to keep the federal government operating in FY 2024.
The fiscal year for the federal government begins on October 1 each year, and Congress is supposed to have passed all the twelve appropriations bills needed to fund the government by that date. However, meeting that deadline has not happened for years, and virtually no one thinks it will this year.
That means in a few weeks, Congress either must pass legislation to continue to fund the government temporarily, or there will be a government shutdown.
