President Donald Trump signed a continuing resolution (CR) into law on September 2, a measure that will fund the federal government at Fiscal Year 2026 levels through December 11. The House of Representatives approved the bill the day before by a vote of 370-48 and the Senate passed it by a vote of 90-6 prior to its August recess.

The passage and signing of the CR will preemptively avert a government shutdown at least through November’s midterm elections and into mid-December. Fiscal Year 2027 begins on October 1.

None of the twelve traditional full-year appropriations bills have been signed into law. This stopgap ensures federal agencies and departments will remain funded and gives lawmakers running for the 120th Congress an opportunity to stay in their states and districts to campaign.

While we are relieved federal managers, employees, and our citizens will not endure another devastating shutdown on the heels of the past fiscal year – including the longest (43 day) shutdown in American history followed by a 76 day partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security – FMA remains frustrated by the continued overreliance on CRs. A CR is certainly preferable to a shutdown, however they leave managers without the ability to efficiently plan ahead, meaning that large amounts of money cannot be used for bulk purchasing or other productive ways of using funds, which costs taxpayers billions of dollars.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said passing the CR “bought the time that we need to get through the election cycle and hopefully the time that we need to get down to serious bargaining on the other side of it.”

With regard to regular order for Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations, the House Appropriations Committee has passed all twelve funding bills for Fiscal Year 2027, and the full House of Representatives has passed three of the 12 funding bills (Agriculture, Military Construction/VA, and National Security-State).

The Senate Appropriations Committee has delayed consideration of FY27 funding bills, however staff work has continued on the Senate bills, and the subcommittee products are considered nearly complete. In the late summer, Senate Appropriations Interior-Environment Chair Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) recently said the funding bill is “ready to go whenever the chairman tells us it’s time to go.” Others have cited significant progress and “basic agreement with Democrats.”

The CR through December 11 gives House and Senate appropriators some breathing room and more time to finalize and pass full-year appropriations. The funding battle will once again shift to weeks before the holiday season.