Congress Continues to Kick the Can on Annual Spending

On Thursday, Congress passed a bill to extend existing (Fiscal Year 2023) funding levels for federal agencies, known as a continuing resolution (CR). The bill would continue funding for certain agencies until March 8th and for all others, including the U.S. Department of Education (ED), through March 22nd. This move avoids a federal government shutdown and delays the deadline for making final spending decisions for Fiscal Year 2024, which began on October 1, 2023. While the bulk of federal K-12 education dollars including Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act grants to states programs are distributed in advance, the current impasse will pose challenges for state and local budget planning if the impasse continues. Likewise, the stalled spending decisions means ED and other agencies do not have certainty about how much funding they will receive to fund discretionary grants or compete new grants. Appropriators, the lawmakers who write the spending bills, have voiced confidence that they are at or nearly at final deals for most federal agencies. With the first portion of the CR expiring next Friday, the week ahead will shed light on how prepared Congress actually is to finalize FY 2024.