The Government Shutdown Threat Is Growing – By Yuval Rosenberg (The Fiscal Times) / Jan 4, 2024
Congressional leaders are reportedly moving closer to agreement on topline spending levels for fiscal year 2024, which started back in October, but that doesn’t mean they’re significantly closer to averting a potential government shutdown ahead of looming January 19 and February 2 deadlines.
The overall spending level being discussed by aides to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Mike Johnson represents just one crucial step toward avoiding a shutdown. One idea reportedly being considered for 2024 funding is to keep spending at current levels but not through a continuing resolution, or CR. “This would essentially function as a year-long CR, but would be treated as if it’s a new appropriation,” Punchbowl News reported.
That approach would avoid the automatic spending cuts that would otherwise kick in under a CR, as required by last year’s Fiscal Responsibility Act. The Congressional Budget Office estimated Thursday that a year-long continuing resolution could result in significant spending cuts. (See more on the CBO analysis below.)
Punchbowl notes that Democrats and Senate Republicans have warned against keeping spending levels flat, meaning that the deal being considered may not fly. Beyond that, whatever the topline spending level is, Congress would still need to pass either a short-term CR or full-year funding bills to prevent agencies and programs from shutting down.
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