Congress passes third stopgap funding bill instead of full FY24 budget – By Bryant Harris and Noah Robertson (Federal Times) / Jan 18, 2024
WASHINGTON ― Congress on Thursday passed its third consecutive stopgap funding bill needed to avoid a partial government shutdown, extending Defense Department funding through March 8 as lawmakers continue to negotiate a full budget for fiscal 2024, which began on Oct. 1.
The short-term continuing resolution comes as lawmakers race to draft final defense spending legislation at an $886 billion defense spending top line stipulated in last year’s debt ceiling agreement. Failure to do so could result in a one-year CR pursuant to the debt deal that would cut funding for all federal agencies, including the Pentagon, by 1% from FY23 levels.
“By continuing to move from one stopgap bill to another, we are shooting ourselves in the foot,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Wednesday on the Senate floor. “We’re weakening our own defense as China’s military strength continues to grow, and as we see more and more aggression on the part of Iran in the Middle East through various proxies like Hamas.”
