Congress Passes Continuing Resolution Keeping the Federal Government in Operation

On Thursday, Congress advanced a third continuing resolution (CR) to keep the federal government open through early March while the House and Senate continue to debate how to finalize Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. Although FY 2024 began on October 1, 2023, the House and Senate were at an impasse about their desired topline spending levels until a deal was struck two weeks ago that would essentially provide the same overall spending level as Fiscal Year 2023. This was the necessary first step in coming to a bicameral deal. The way that funds would be allocated to specific funding bills has yet to be determined but is expected to result in some variation from existing funding levels for some programs. Thus, advocacy for FY 2024 programs continues to be a priority.