The House and Senate passed their third Continuing Resolution (CR) last Thursday, providing funding to keep the government operating through October 18. Passage of H.J. Res. 122 was required to prevent a government shutdown since none of the 13 annual appropriations necessary for federal programs to continue to operate has yet been enacted. It is anticipated that the Defense and Military Construction appropriations bills will be passed before a longer term CR is enacted.

The House and Senate passed their third Continuing Resolution (CR) last Thursday, providing funding to keep the government operating through October 18. Passage of H.J. Res. 122 was required to prevent a government shutdown since none of the 13 annual appropriations necessary for federal programs to continue to operate has yet been enacted. It is anticipated that the Defense and Military Construction appropriations bills will be passed before a longer term CR is enacted.

The House and Senate passed their third Continuing Resolution (CR) last Thursday, providing funding to keep the government operating through October 18. Passage of H.J. Res. 122 was required to prevent a government shutdown since none of the 13 annual appropriations necessary for federal programs to continue to operate has yet been enacted. It is anticipated that the Defense and Military Construction appropriations bills will be passed before a longer term CR is enacted.

Earlier versions of this CR would have extended funding through November 22, giving Members of Congress time to return home to their districts, campaign for the November 5 elections, and postpone action on funding decisions for FY 2003, which began October 1. Since this most recent CR only extends to October 18, however, at least one more CR will be necessary to keep the government funded through these elections. Commentator Stan Collender warns that relying on CR’s means that federally-funded programs will have to continue to struggle both to address this year’s needs as well as outline their spending plans for FY 2004 well before they have received their FY 2003 funds. For a closer look at the host of problems that agencies and federal programs face while operating under a CR, see this article in the September 30 Watcher. Election year or not, it is disturbing that Congress cannot work through the difficult decisions around spending priorities and meet their obligation to timely appropriate funding for the government.

The effects of at least one other possible complication arising from a CR that carries Congress through the November 5 elections remains to be seen. The Washington Times reports that on October 9 Sens. Phil Gramm (R-TX) and Zell Miller (D-GA) promised to prevent adjournment of the Senate until action is taken on legislation creating the homeland security department and will attach this legislation to any CR that extends past November 5. Apparently Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) is serving in a self-described capacity of an “unbiased facilitator” to reach an agreement on the legislation between Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL). Daschle said on Friday that he believes a “lame duck” session of Congress is unavoidable, but on Wednesday he will be filing cloture to bring debate on the Homeland Security bill to a close and provide for a vote on this legislation.

To track the slow progress of the FY 2003 appropriations process, see this Congressional site.