Key Budget Issues Left to Later

Congress has avoided a repeat of last year’s partial government shutdown by passing a temporary budget (P.L. 113-164) carrying spending authority until December 11, largely at fiscal 2014 levels. During a planned post-election session set to start November 12 and last four weeks, many or all of the regular appropriations bills could be packaged into a catchall spending bill that would last for all of fiscal year 2015, or perhaps only into the early months of the new calendar year for Congress to revisit the budget then—a strategy that has been used several times in recent years.The course could largely be determined by political considerations related to the outcome of the elections. Even another only temporary measure would clear the way for a 1 percent raise in January if it remains silent on a raise, as have all the budget measures considered so far, including the recently enacted “continuing resolution.” The final budget measure, in whatever form it takes, likely will carry various policy provisions affecting the workforce; numerous proposals are in circulation to limit, for example, conditions in which employees can receive performance awards.