Like the prior extensions, the latest stopgap generally continues funding at fiscal 2023 levels, with some exceptions, for through what will be the fifth month of the current fiscal year despite changing agency needs since those levels were first enacted. Image: Orhan Cam/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffUPDATED: For the third time since last September, Congress has enacted a temporary spending measure to head off a partial government shutdown, although only for another six weeks.
The Senate and then the House voted this week on a stopgap bill to extend funding until March 1 for agencies funded under the spending bills covering Agriculture, Energy, HUD, Transportation, VA and related agencies, and until March 8 for other departments and agencies.
Under the previous extension—enacted just ahead of the November 17 expiration of an extension that was enacted just ahead of the original October 1 deadline—funding for the first group would have expired January 19 and for the latter, February 2.
While the Senate vote was by a solid bipartisan majority under regular rules, the House Republican leadership once again had to rely on votes of Democrats there, in the face of objections from a group of about three dozen of the farthest-right House Republicans. Leaders additionally had to once again use a shortcut procedure that requires more votes but that also bars amendments to a bill.
That group had been seeking to offer such amendments, in particular language from a bill the House passed earlier on immigration policy. Considering amendments almost certainly would have pushed the vote past at least the January 19 deadline, causing partial shutdowns in the affected agencies.
Like the prior extensions, the latest stopgap generally continues funding at fiscal 2023 levels, with some exceptions, for through what will be the fifth month of the current fiscal year despite changing agency needs since those levels were first enacted.
OMB told agencies this week break out their “shutdown contingency plans,” which show the mix of employees who would remain on the job with pay (because their salaries are not paid through appropriated funds), those who would be unpaid but must remain on the job (due to the nature of their work) and those who would be furloughed without pay.
The USPS and other self-funding agencies such as the TSP would not be affected by a future funding lapse. Some parts of other agencies also are self-funding while others have long-term budget authority, notably including health care functions of the VA with more than 400,000 employees. Also, some agencies could keep employees in paid status, at least for a time, by using appropriated money still unspent, trust funds or other specialty accounts, and advance funding.
Note: In any shutdown, both employees who would be furloughed and those who would work without pay are guaranteed to be paid eventually, under terms of a law passed during the most recent shutdown, in late 2018-early 2019. Before that, only those who had work had such a guarantee but in practice those furloughed later were paid, as well.
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