President Donald Trump signed a continuing resolution (CR) into law on September 2, a measure that funds 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.

FMA will closely watch negotiations as Congress returns from the November 3 elections. The election results changes the negotiating posture. Current Republican leadership may try to finish bills before Democrats take over, while Democrats may prefer to push the decisions into 2027. Lawmakers will have only a few weeks to act on full-year appropriations or another continuing resolution before the December 11 deadline. Fiscal Year 2027 began on October 1.

None of the twelve traditional full-year appropriations bills have been signed into law. The stopgap kept federal agencies and departments funded and allowed lawmakers to remain in their states and districts to campaign. With the elections over, that cover is gone, and Congress must now decide how to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year.

While we are relieved federal managers, employees, and our citizens have not had to endure another devastating shutdown on the heels of the past fiscal year, which included 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, but it leaves managers unable to plan ahead efficiently. Large amounts of money cannot be used for bulk purchasing or other productive purposes, which costs taxpayers billions of dollars.

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

The Senate Appropriations Committee delayed consideration of its FY27 bills, but staff work has continued and the subcommittee products are considered nearly complete.

Congress’s options when it returns include passing individual bills, combining them into one or more omnibus or minibus packages, or extending the CR again, which would push the decisions into the new Congress. The funding battle will once again land in the weeks before the holiday season, and a lapse in funding is possible if lawmakers cannot reach agreement by December 11.