Appropriations Measures for Fiscal Years Coinciding with Lame Duck Sessions: 103rd Congress-118th Congress
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Enactment of Appropriations Measures During Lame Duck Sessions
Updated September 5, 2024
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R46574
Congressional Research Service
SUMMARY
Enactment of Appropriations Measures During Lame Duck Sessions
Fourteen of the past 15 Congresses have concluded with post-election, or “lame duck,” sessions. Under contemporary conditions, any meeting of Congress that occurs between a congressional election in November and the following January 3 is termed a lame duck session. The defining characteristic of a lame duck session is that its participants are the sitting Members of the existing Congress, not those who have been elected to sit in the new Congress.
The enactment of appropriations measures has been an element of most of the lame duck sessions since the 103rd Congress. No regular or continuing appropriations measures (continuing resolutions, or CRs) were enacted during lame duck sessions held in 1994, 1998, 2008, and 2012. However, a total of 49 regular and 25 CRs were enacted during the 10 other lame duck sessions held in 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022.
Lame duck sessions have in some instances afforded Congress an opportunity to complete action on regular appropriations for a fiscal year. In other instances, Congress completed action on regular appropriations either before or after a lame duck session. In total, 51 of the 172 full-year appropriations acts signed into law during this period were enacted prior to a lame duck session, 49 were enacted during a lame duck session, and 72 were enacted after a lame duck session by the next Congress.
The enactment of CRs was also an important element in most, but not all, of the lame duck sessions that occurred during the 103rd-117th Congresses. In total, 72 CRs were enacted for fiscal years that coincided with lame duck sessions over this period. Thirty-five of these CRs were enacted prior to a lame duck session, 25 were enacted during a lame duck session, and 12 were enacted after a lame duck session by the next Congress.
R46574
September 5, 2024
Drew C. Aherne Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
Enactment of Appropriations Measures During Lame Duck Sessions
Congressional Research Service
Contents
Background ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Appropriations Measures Enacted Before, During, and After Lame Duck Sessions ...................... 2
Regular Appropriations Acts ..................................................................................................... 4
No Enactment of Regular Appropriations Bills During a Lame Duck Session .................. 5 Enactment of Regular Appropriations Bills During a Lame Duck Session ........................ 5 Enactment of Regular Appropriations Bills After a Lame Duck Session ........................... 5
Continuing Resolutions ............................................................................................................. 5
No Enactment of Continuing Resolutions During Lame Duck Sessions ............................ 7
Enactment of Continuing Resolutions During Lame Duck Sessions .................................. 7
Enactment of Continuing Resolutions After Lame Duck Sessions ..................................... 7
Summary of Congressional Action on Appropriations Measures Enacted Before, During,
and After Each Lame Duck Session Held Between 1994-2022 ................................................... 8
1994 Lame Duck Session .......................................................................................................... 8
No Lame Duck Session Held in 1996 ....................................................................................... 8 1998 Lame Duck Session .......................................................................................................... 8
2000 Lame Duck Session .......................................................................................................... 8
2002 Lame Duck Session .......................................................................................................... 9
2004 Lame Duck Session .......................................................................................................... 9
2006 Lame Duck Session ........................................................................................................ 10
2008 Lame Duck Session ........................................................................................................ 10
2010 Lame Duck Session ........................................................................................................ 10
2012 Lame Duck Session ......................................................................................................... 11
2014 Lame Duck Session ......................................................................................................... 11
2016 Lame Duck Session ......................................................................................................... 11
2018 Lame Duck Session ........................................................................................................ 12
2020 Lame Duck Session ........................................................................................................ 12
2022 Lame Duck Session ........................................................................................................ 13
Tables
Table 1. Duration of Lame Duck Session and Party Control of Government ................................. 3 Table 2. Regular Appropriations Acts Enacted Before, During, and After Lame Duck
Sessions: 1994-2022 ..................................................................................................................... 4
Table 3. Continuing Resolutions Enacted Before, During, and After Lame Duck Sessions ........... 6
Contacts
Author Information ........................................................................................................................ 13
Enactment of Appropriations Measures During Lame Duck Sessions
Congressional Research Service 1
Fifteen of the past 16 completed Congresses (103rd Congress-118th Congress) have concluded with post-election, or "lame duck," sessions. Under contemporary conditions, any meeting of Congress that occurs between a congressional election in November and the beginning of the new Congress the following January is termed a lame duck session. The defining characteristic of a lame duck session is that its participants are the sitting Members of the existing Congress, not those who have been elected to sit in the new Congress. The enactment of appropriations legislation was an element of most lame duck sessions over this period. Of the 15 Congresses that held lame duck sessions over this period, 11 featured the enactment of at least one appropriations measure. A total of 49 regular, 26 continuing (continuing resolutions, or CRs), and 5 supplemental appropriations measures were enacted during lame duck sessions held during the 106th, 107th, 108th, 109th, 111th, 113th, 114th, 115th, 116th, 117th, and 118th Congresses. No appropriations measures were enacted during the lame duck sessions held during the 103rd, 105th, 110th, and 112th Congresses. There was no lame duck session held during the 104th Congress. Congress has on occasion used lame duck sessions to complete action on some or all regular appropriations bills for the current fiscal year. In other instances, Congress completed action on regular or other full-year appropriations measures for the relevant fiscal year prior to or after a lame duck session during the new Congress. From the 103rd through 118th Congress, a total of 184 regular appropriations measures for fiscal years during which lame duck sessions were held were either enacted individually, enacted as part of consolidated appropriations measures, or covered under full-year CRs. Of these, 51 were enacted prior to the lame duck sessions; 49 were enacted during the lame duck sessions; and 84 were enacted after the lame duck sessions during the new Congress. The enactment of CRs has also been common during lame duck sessions. A total of 72 CRs were enacted for fiscal years during which lame duck sessions were held between the 103rd and 118th Congresses. Thirty-six of these CRs were enacted prior to such lame duck sessions, 26 were enacted during the lame duck sessions, and 10 were enacted after the lame duck sessions during the new Congress. Lame duck sessions have on occasion been used to enact supplemental appropriations measures. From the 103rd through 118th Congress, four lame duck sessions featured the enactment of at least one supplemental appropriations measure. A total of five supplemental appropriations measures were enacted during these sessions, all of which were enacted as part of measures also containing either regular appropriations bills or CRs.Appropriations Measures for Fiscal Years Coinciding with Lame Duck Sessions: 103rd Congress-118th Congress
Updated August 31, 2026
(R46574)
Jump to Main Text of Report
Contents
Tables
Summary
he activities of most federal agencies are at least partially funded by means of annual appropriations acts. These appropriations are typically provided in the regular appropriations bills that are enacted for each fiscal year.2 Some or all of the regular
appropriations bills may be enacted before the fiscal year begins on October 1. In recent decades, however, it has been common for most—if not all—of the or all regular appropriations bills to be enacted after the October 1 start of the fiscal year.1 In a number of recent instances, the consideration of regular appropriations bills has carried over to the following session of Congress.start of the fiscal year. When action on the regular appropriations actsbills is delayed beyond the start of the fiscal year, one or more continuing appropriations acts (commonly known as continuing resolutions or CRs) may be enacted to provide interim funding.
Fourteen of the past 15 Congresses, covering the 103rd Congress through the 117th Congress, have concluded with a post-election, or “lame duck,” session.2 The enactment of appropriations measures has been an important aspect of the agenda for many of these sessions.
This report provides information on regular appropriations acts and CRs enacted during lame duck sessions between 1994 and 2022 (i.e., appropriations bills for FY1995, FY1999, FY2001, FY2003, FY2005, FY2007, FY2009, FY2011, FY2013, FY2015, FY2017, FY2019, FY2021, and FY2023).3
Background
In several recent instances, the consideration of appropriations measures for the current fiscal year has continued beyond congressional elections held in November of each even-numbered year. This has included action by the existing Congress during post-election, or "lame duck," sessions. Fifteen of the past 16 completed Congresses—the 103rd Congress through the 118th Congress—have concluded with "lame duck" sessions.5 The enactment of appropriations measures has occurred during most of these sessions. This report provides information on appropriations measures enacted for fiscal years in which lame duck sessions were held from the 103rd Congress (i.e., the lame duck session beginning in November 1994) through the 118th Congress (i.e., the lame duck session beginning in November 2024). Appropriations measures discussed in this report include those for FY1995, FY1999, FY2001, FY2003, FY2005, FY2007, FY2009, FY2011, FY2013, FY2015, FY2017, FY2019, FY2021, FY2023, and FY2025.A lame duck session is one3 Congress has completed action on regular appropriations measures in recent decades with the enactment of all of the regular appropriations bills for the current fiscal year or, on occasion, the enactment of a CR providing full-year appropriations for activities normally funded through one or more of the regular appropriations bills (known as a "full-year CR").4
46 In recent years, new Congresses have convened during the first week of January in each odd-numbered year, but not necessarily on January 3.5 As pointed out7 As described in a CRS report:
Since 1935, the constitutional term of a Congress has begun on January 3 of each odd- numbered year and has ended on January 3 of the next odd-numbered year. As a result, any meeting of Congress that occurs between the congressional election in November of an even-numbered year and the following January 3 is a lame duck session. The significant characteristic of a lame duck session is that its participants are the sitting Members of the existing Congress, not those who will be entitled to sit in the new Congress.6
Several factors may contribute to the scheduling of lame duck sessions, including the need to deal with unfinished business or urgent matters that have arisen suddenly. For example, lame duck sessions have been used for such matters as the consideration of authorization measures for the
1 Regular appropriations bills may be enacted individually or as part of a consolidated appropriations act (commonly referred to as an “omnibus”). For more information on the latter, see CRS Insight IN12324, Omnibus Appropriations: Overview of Recent Practice. In addition, annual appropriations are sometimes provided by a full-year continuing resolution that funds (or “covers”) the activities that would normally be funded in a regular appropriations act. For more information, see CRS Report R46595, Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Practices.
2 No such session occurred in 1996 during the 104th Congress.
3 The 103rd Congress began on January 5, 1993, and the 117th Congress ended on January 3, 2023.
4 Section 2 of the Twentieth Amendment states: “The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.” See “Constitution Annotated” on the CRS website at https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-20/.
5 For more information, see CRS Report RS20722, The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the Senate Floor.
6 CRS Report R45154, Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2022 (74th-117th Congresses).
T
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Department of Defense and intelligence activities, the finalization of a measure establishing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the House impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton, and the enactment of legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In most recent Congresses, lame duck sessions have been used to take action on regular or continuing appropriations bills for a fiscal year.
Twenty-four lame duck sessions occurred between 1935 and 2022.7 Ten of the 24 lame duck sessions occurred between 1935 and 1990, an average of one out of every three Congresses during this period. The use of such sessions has become more common in recent decades, occurring about twice as frequently. The remaining 14 lame duck sessions—which occurred after the 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022 elections—covered a span of 15 Congresses. As Table 1 shows, lame duck sessions occurred during this period regardless of whether party control of the federal government was unified (i.e., the same party controlled the presidency and both chambers of Congress, as in 1994, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2018, and 2022) or divided. Further, lame duck sessions occurred in both presidential election years (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020) and nonpresidential election years.
Appropriations Measures Enacted Before, During, and After Lame Duck Sessions
Between calendar years 1994 and 2022, lame duck sessions have in some instances afforded Congress an opportunity to complete action on some or all regular appropriations for a fiscal year. In other instances, Congress completed action on regular appropriations either before or after a lame duck session. A total of 172 regular appropriations acts were enacted (or covered by full- year CRs) for the fiscal years that coincided with lame duck sessions (see Table 2).
In addition, a total of 72 CRs were enacted for the fiscal years that coincided with lame duck sessions during this same period (see Table 3). The consideration of one or more CRs was carried out during most of these lame duck sessions.
Information regarding regular appropriations acts and CRs enacted before, during, and after each lame duck session is displayed in Table 1 and Table 2. Additional information on the enactment of appropriations measures for fiscal years coinciding with each lame duck session over this period is also provided in the section of this report titled “Summary of Congressional Action on Appropriations Measures Enacted Before, During, and After Each Lame Duck Session Held Between 1994-2022.”
7 See CRS Report R45154, Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2022 (74th-117th Congresses). According to the report, “The possibility of a lame duck session of Congress in the modern sense began with the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution. Under this amendment, ratified in 1933, the terms of Members begin and end on January 3 of odd-numbered years. Congress convenes in a regular session on January 3 of each year unless it passes a law changing the date. Thus, the 74th Congress (1935-1937) was the first to begin its first session and the terms of its Members on the new date. Any meeting of Congress after a federal election day (in November of even-numbered years) but before the following January 3 is a lame duck session.”
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Table 1. Duration of Lame Duck Session and Party Control of Government
1994-2022
Congress
Lame Duck Session Party Control
Dates
Duration
(in calendar days)a Administrationb House Senate
103rd 11/29-12/1
1994
3 D
(Clinton)
D D
104th [none] — D
(Clinton)
R R
105th 12/17-12/19
1998
3 D
(Clinton)
R R
106th 11/13-12/15
2000
33 D
(Clinton)
R R
107th 11/7-11/22
2002
16 R
(G. W. Bush)
R D
108th 11/16-12/8
2004
23 R
(G. W. Bush)
R R
109th 11/9-12/9
2006c
31 R
(G. W. Bush)
R R
110th 11/19/2008-
1/3/2009
46 R
(G. W. Bush)
D D
111th 11/4-12/29
2010
56 D
(Obama)
D D
112th 11/9/2012-1/3/2013 56 D
(Obama)
R D
113th 11/12/2014-
1/3/2015
53 D
(Obama)
R D
114th 11/14/2016-
1/2/2017
50 D
(Obama)
R R
115th 11/13/2018-
1/3/2019
52 R
(Trump)
R R
116th 11/9/2020-1/3/2021 56 R
(Trump)
D R
117th 11/14/2022 –
1/3/2023
51 D
(Biden)
D D
Sources: Prepared by CRS using data from the LIS/Congress.gov and CQ Guide to Congress, 6th ed., vol. II (Washington: CQ Press, 2008), p. 1306. a. Duration refers to the span of days from the first date to the last date that the House, the Senate, or both were in session. This does not refer to the number of days that one or both chambers were in session during that period.
b. D refers to the Democratic Party and R refers to the Republican Party.
c. The House and Senate adjourned early in the morning of December 9 (before 5:00 a.m.).
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Regular Appropriations Acts
Congress House Senate 118th November 12, 2024-January 3, 2025 November 12, 2024-January 3, 2025 117th November 14, 2022-January 3, 2023 November 14, 2022-January 3, 2023 116th November 16, 2020-January 3, 2021 November 9, 2020-January 3, 2021 115th November 13, 2018-January 3, 2019 November 13, 2018-January 3, 2019 114th November 14, 2016-January 3, 2017 November 14, 2016-January 3, 2017 113th November 12, 2014-January 2, 2015 November 12, 2014-December 16, 2014 112th November 13, 2012-January 3, 2013 November 13, 2012-January 2, 2013 111th November 15, 2010-December 22, 2010 November 15, 2010-December 22, 2010 110th November 19, 2008-January 3, 2009 November 19, 2008-January 2, 2009 109th November 13, 2006-December 9, 2006 November 13, 2006-December 9, 2006 108th November 13, 2004-December 9, 2004 November 13, 2004-December 9, 2004 107th November 7, 2002-November 22, 2002 November 7, 2002-November 20, 2002 106th November 13, 2000-December 15, 2000 December 5, 2000-December 15, 2000 105th December 17, 1998-December 19, 1998 None 104th None None 103rd November 29, 1994 November 30, 1994-December 1, 1994 Sources: CRS Report R45154, Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2022 (74th-117th Congresses), by Jane A. Hudiburg and Congress.gov. From the 103rd Congress through the 118th Congress, Congress developed and considered appropriations legislation for 15 fiscal years during which lame duck sessions were held.11 For these fiscal years, Congress and the President enacted a total of 184 regular appropriations measures either individually, as part of consolidated appropriations measures, or that were covered under full-year CRs. Congressional practice regarding the enactment of regular appropriations measures before, during, and after such lame duck sessions varied over this period. In some cases, some or all regular appropriations bills were enacted prior to the lame duck sessions. In most other cases, the consideration of regular appropriations measures continued during the lame duck session and/or after the lame duck session during the new Congress. The enactment of full-year CRs to cover some or all regular appropriations acts for a given fiscal year—when it occurred over this period—occurred exclusively after the corresponding lame duck session during the new Congress. In addition, a total of 72 short-term, or "interim," CRs were enacted for these fiscal years. In all years except one, at least one CR was enacted to provide interim funding prior to the lame duck session.12 One or more additional short-term CRs were enacted for most of these fiscal years during the lame duck sessions. In fewer cases, one or more additional short-term CRs were enacted after the lame duck session during the new Congress. Five supplemental appropriations measures were enacted during lame duck sessions over this period. Most supplemental appropriations measures enacted for these fiscal years were enacted after the corresponding lame duck session during the new Congress, however. Congress Fiscal Year 118th 2025 12 0 0 117th 2023 12 0 12 0 116th 2021 12 0 12 0 115th 2019 12 5 0 7 114th 2017 12 1 0 11 113th 2015 12 0 11 1 112th 2013 12 0 0 111th 2011 12 0 0 110th 2009 12 3 0 9 109th 2007 11 2 0 108th 2005 13 4 9 0 107th 2003 13 2 0 11 106th 2001 13 8 5 0 105th 1999 13 13 0 0 103rd 1995 13 13 0 0 Total 184 51 49 84 Source: Prepared by CRS using the CRS Appropriations Status Table and the final edition of Calendars of the United States House of Representatives and History of Legislation, One Hundred Third Congress. Notes: Unless specified otherwise in the table notes, all appropriations acts reflected in this table are regular appropriations acts enacted either individually or as part of consolidated appropriations measures. The table excludes the 104th Congress because no lame duck session was held. All regular appropriations bills for FY1997—the fiscal year that would have corresponded with a lame duck session at the end of the 104th Congress—were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year.Table 2 provides information on regular appropriations bills signed into law for fiscal years that coincided with lame duck sessions between 1994 and 2022. There has been considerable variance in the degree to which regular appropriations have been completed before, during, or after the 14 most recent lame duck sessions held since 1994. The count of regular appropriations acts in Table 2 includes those that were enacted in both standalone or consolidated vehicles, as well as those covered by full-year CRs. Department of Defense and intelligence activities, finalization of a measure establishing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), House impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton, and enactment of legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lame duck sessions have been used by most recent Congresses to act on regular or continuing appropriations bills for the current fiscal year.
Lame duck sessions were held at the end of 25 of the 45 Congresses between the 74th and 118th Congresses (i.e., after elections held between 1934 and 2024).9 Ten of the 25 lame duck sessions occurred between 1934 and 1990, an average of one out of every three Congresses during this period. The frequency of lame duck sessions has increased in recent decades, however. As shown in Table 1, the remaining 15 lame duck sessions over this period occurred within the span of just 16 Congresses (the 103rd-118th).10 This report covers appropriations measures enacted for fiscal years coinciding with these latter 15 lame duck sessions.
Table 1. Lame Duck Sessions of Congress: 103rd Congress-118th Congress
Dates of Lame Duck Sessiona
Number of Regular Appropriations Billsa
Number of Regular Appropriations Acts Enacted:
Before Lame Duck Session
During Lame Duck Session
After Lame Duck Sessionb
12c
12d
12e
9f
During the 109th Congress (2005-2006), the number of regular appropriations acts was reduced from 13 to 11 due to a reorganization of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.8 At the beginning of the 110th Congress, a further reorganization of the appropriations subcommittees took effect, which resulted in an increase in the number of regular appropriations acts to 12.
In total, 51 of the 172 regular appropriations acts during this period were enacted before the beginning of the applicable lame duck session, 49 were enacted during the lame duck session, and 72 were enacted after the lame duck session by the new Congress.9
Table 2. Regular Appropriations Acts Enacted Before, During, and After Lame Duck
Sessions: 1994-2022
Calendar
Year
Number of Regular Appropriations Acts
Enacted:
Before
Lame Duck
Session
During
Lame Duck
Session
After
Lame Duck
Session Total
1994 13 0 0 13
1998 13 0 0 13
2000 8 5 0 13
2002 2 0 11 13
2004 4 9 0 13
2006 2 0 9 11
2008 3 0 9 12
2010 0 0 12 12
2012 0 0 12 12
2014 0 11 1 12
2016 1 0 11 12
2018 5 0 7 12
2020 0 12 0 12
2022 0 12 0 12
Total 51 49 72 172
8 For more, see CRS Report RL31572, Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920 to 2023.
9 In 2000, the House and Senate passed five regular appropriations acts for FY2001 during the lame duck session, but four of them were signed into law on December 21, six days after the session had ended. This delay in enactment was due not to congressional inaction but to a delay in the signing of the acts by the President. For purposes of this report, all five acts are regarded as having been enacted during the lame duck session.
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Source: Prepared by CRS using the CRS Appropriations Status Table and congress.gov. Notes: This table excludes 1996 because no lame duck session was held at the end of the 104th Congress. All regular appropriations bills for FY1997 were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year.
No Enactment of Regular Appropriations Bills During a Lame Duck Session
No regular appropriations bills were enacted during nine of the 14 lame duck sessions since 1994 (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016, and 2018). In two of these lame duck sessions (1994 and 1998), no action was taken on regular appropriations bills because all of the regular appropriations bills for the applicable fiscal years (FY1995 and FY1999, respectively) had been enacted prior to the start of the lame duck session. In other years (2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2016, and 2018), no regular appropriations bills were enacted during the lame duck session despite action being incomplete on some or all of the regular appropriations bills for the applicable fiscal years. On two of these occasions (2010 and 2012), none of the regular appropriations bills was enacted either prior to or during the lame duck session, thus leaving the passage of all regular appropriations bills for the applicable fiscal years (FY2011 and FY2013, respectively) to the new Congress.
Enactment of Regular Appropriations Bills During a Lame Duck Session
Enactment of regular appropriations bills was an important element in five lame duck sessions since 1994 (2000, 2004, 2014, 2020, and 2022). In four of these lame duck sessions (2000, 2004, 2020, and 2022), Congress completed action on all remaining regular appropriations bills for the applicable fiscal year during the lame duck session. In two of these lame duck sessions (2020 and 2022), all regular appropriations for the applicable fiscal year (FY2021 and FY2023, respectively) were enacted during the lame duck session. Eleven of the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2015 were enacted during the 2014 lame duck session, with one being enacted during the new Congress.
Enactment of Regular Appropriations Bills After a Lame Duck Session
Consideration of regular appropriations acts for the applicable fiscal year has continued beyond the lame duck session and into the new Congress on eight occasions since 1994 (2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018). On two occasions (2010 and 2012), no regular appropriations bills were enacted prior to or during the lame duck session, and all regular appropriations (for FY2011 and FY2013, respectively) were enacted after the lame duck session during the new Congress. On five occasions (2002, 2006, 2008, 2016, and 2018), all regular appropriations for the applicable fiscal year were enacted either before or after the lame duck session, with none enacted during the session. The lame duck session in 2014 was the one occasion over this period where regular appropriations bills (for FY2015) were enacted either during (11) or after (1) a lame duck session, with none enacted beforehand.
Continuing Resolutions
CRs have been an integral component of the annual appropriations process for decades. When action on one or more of the regular appropriations bills is not completed by the October 1 start of the new fiscal year, CRs may be enacted to provide interim funding, thereby avoiding a disruption in agency operations.10 CRs are typically intended to provide interim funding (i.e., for a matter of days, weeks, or months) until action on regular appropriations is complete. They have on
10 For a more on CRs, see CRS Report R46595, Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Practices.
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occasion, however, provided funding for the remainder of a fiscal year (known as a “full-year CR”).
The duration for a CR to be in effect is often a source of debate during its development and consideration. With any given CR, some in Congress may favor one or more short-term CRs in order to “buy time” for ongoing negotiations on regular appropriations while maintaining incentives to complete the process. Some may favor a longer-term CR to postpone final action on appropriations beyond a certain date, among other potential reasons. These debates may be amplified in the context of lame duck sessions due to political considerations related to election outcomes and an impending new Congress.
There has been considerable variation in the degree to which CRs have been used to provide interim funding during the 14 most recent lame duck sessions since 1994 (see Table 3). A total of 72 CRs were enacted for the fiscal years that coincided with lame duck sessions during this period. In total, 35 of the 72 CRs were enacted before the beginning of a lame duck session, 25 were enacted during a lame duck session, and 12 were enacted afterwards by the new Congress.11
No regular appropriations bills were enacted during 10 of the 15 lame duck sessions since the 103rd Congress (lame duck sessions held during the 103rd, 105th, 107th, 109th, 110th, 111th, 112th, 114th, 115th, and 118th Congresses). For two of these lame duck sessions (103rd and 105th Congresses), no action was taken on regular appropriations bills because all regular appropriations bills for the applicable fiscal years (FY1995 and FY1999) had been enacted prior to the start of the lame duck session. For the others (107th, 109th, 110th, 111th, 112th, 114th, 115th, and 118th Congresses), no regular appropriations bills were enacted during the lame duck session despite some or all regular appropriations bills for the applicable fiscal years remaining unenacted during the session. For three of these lame duck sessions (111th, 112th, and 118th Congresses), none of the regular appropriations bills were enacted either prior to or during the lame duck session, thus leaving the enactment of all regular appropriations bills for the applicable fiscal years (FY2011, FY2013, and FY2025) to the new Congress. Enactment of regular appropriations bills occurred during five lame duck sessions since the 103rd Congress (lame duck sessions held during the 106th, 108th, 113th, 116th, and 117th Congresses). During four of these lame duck sessions (106th, 108th, 116th, and 117th Congresses), Congress completed action on all remaining regular appropriations bills for the applicable fiscal year during the lame duck session (FY2001, FY2005, FY2021, and FY2023). During two of these lame duck sessions (116th and 117th Congresses), all regular appropriations for the applicable fiscal year (FY2021 and FY2023) were enacted during the lame duck session. Eleven of the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2015 were enacted during the lame duck session held during the 113th Congress.14 Consideration of regular or other full-year appropriations measures for the applicable fiscal year continued beyond lame duck sessions and into the new Congress on nine occasions since the 103rd Congress (after the lame duck sessions held during the 107th, 109th, 110th, 111th, 112th, 113th, 114th, 115th, and 118th Congresses). On three occasions (111th, 112th, and 118th Congresses), no regular appropriations bills were enacted either prior to or during the lame duck sessions, thus leaving all regular or other full-year appropriations measures (for FY2011, FY2013, and FY2025) to be enacted by the new Congresses. In all three cases, some or all regular appropriations bills for these fiscal years were covered by a full-year CR enacted by the new Congress.15 CRs have been an integral component of the annual appropriations process for decades. When one or more regular appropriations bills have not been enacted by the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, Congress has typically enacted one or more CRs to provide interim funding, thereby avoiding lapses in funding ("funding gaps") and resulting disruptions in agency operations ("government shutdowns").16 Short-term, or "interim," CRs provide interim funding for a portion of the fiscal year (i.e., a matter of days, weeks, or months). These CRs differ from "full-year" CRs, which provide full-year appropriations for covered activities. Interim CRs typically provide covered activities with funding through an expiration date specified in the measure. The duration of a CR may be a source of debate during its development and consideration. For example, with any given CR, some in Congress may favor a shorter duration to incentivize the enactment of regular appropriations bills at an earlier date. Others may favor longer durations to postpone final actions on regular appropriations beyond a certain date. These debates may be amplified in the context of lame duck sessions due to political considerations related to election outcomes and the upcoming new Congress.17 Congress Fiscal Year Total 118th 2025 1 1 0 2 117th 2023 1 2 0 3 116th 2021 1 4 0 5 115th 2019 1 1 1 3 114th 2017 1 1 1 3 113th 2015 1 3 1 5 112th 2013 1 0 0 1 111th 2011 1 3 3 7 110th 2009 1 0 1 2 109th 2007 1 2 0 3 108th 2005 1 2 0 3 107th 2003 4 1 3 8 106th 2001 15 6 0 21 105th 1999 6 0 0 6 103rd 1995 0 0 0 0 Total 36 26 10 72 Source: Prepared by CRS using the CRS Appropriations Status Table and the final edition of Calendars of the United States House of Representatives and History of Legislation, One Hundred Third Congress. No CRs were enacted during four lame duck sessions held from the 103rd Congress through the 118th Congress (the lame duck sessions held during the 103rd, 105th, 110th, and 112th Congresses). No CRs were needed during the lame duck sessions held at the end of the 103rd and 105th Congresses because all regular appropriations bills for FY1995 and FY1999 had been enacted prior to the lame duck session.19 No CRs were enacted during the lame duck sessions held during the 110th and 112th Congresses due to the prior enactment of CRs (for FY2009 and FY2013) providing interim funding beyond the duration of the lame duck session. On both occasions, the CRs enacted prior to the lame duck session provided interim funding into March of the next calendar year (i.e., during the new Congress).20 Eleven of the 15 lame duck sessions held from the 103rd Congress through the 118th Congress featured the enactment of at least one interim CR for the then-current fiscal year. In all 11 cases, the lame duck session was preceded by enactment of an interim CR that was set to expire between Election Day and the convening of the new Congress. This effectively required the enactment of either a new interim CR or all regular appropriations bills during a lame duck session to avoid funding gaps and government shutdowns. Most of these lame duck sessions featured the enactment of one or two interim CRs, including the lame duck sessions held during the 107th (one CR), 108th (two CRs), 109th (two CRs), 114th (one CR), 115th (one CR), 117th (two CRs), and 118th (one CR) Congresses. Three interim CRs for FY2011 and FY2015, respectively, were enacted during the lame duck sessions held at the end of the 111th and 113th Congresses. Four interim CRs for FY2021 were enacted during the lame duck session held at the end of the 116th Congress. Six interim CRs were enacted for FY2001 during the lame duck session held at the end of the 106th Congress (15 CRs for FY2001 had been enacted before the session began). One or more additional interim CRs were enacted after a lame duck session during the new Congress for six fiscal years during which lame duck sessions were held from the 103rd through 118th Congress. One interim CR for each of fiscal years 2009, 2015, 2017, and 2019 was enacted by the 111th, 114th, 115th, and 116th Congresses, respectively, after lame duck sessions held during the preceding Congresses. Three interim CRs for each of FY2003 and FY2011 were enacted by the 108th and 112th Congresses, respectively, after lame duck sessions held during the preceding Congresses. For any given fiscal year, Congress may develop and consider supplemental appropriations measures intended to provide funding in addition to amounts provided in regular appropriations bills and/or CRs. Such measures are most often developed and considered to address urgent and/or unforeseen funding needs (e.g., disaster relief), though there are no formal restrictions on the accounts or activities that can receive funding through supplemental appropriations measures. From the 103rd through 118th Congress, a total of five supplemental appropriations measures were enacted across four lame duck sessions (the lame duck sessions held during the 114th, 116th, 117th, and 118th Congresses). All five measures were enacted as part of legislative vehicles that also included either regular appropriations bills or CRs. These measures include Most supplemental appropriations measures for fiscal years coinciding with lame duck sessions from the 103rd through 118th Congress were enacted after the lame duck session during the new Congress.21 The following sections provide summaries of congressional action on appropriations measures for each fiscal year during which a lame duck session was held from the 103rd Congress through the 118th Congress. At the end of the 103rd Congress, lame duck sessions were held in the House on November 29, 1994, and in the Senate from November 30, 1994, to December 1, 1994. All 13 regular appropriations acts for FY1995 were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year on October 1, 1994. All were enacted separately and no CRs were needed. Congress did not consider any appropriations legislation for FY1995 during the lame duck session. Neither chamber held a lame duck session at the end of the 104th Congress. All regular appropriations acts for FY1997 were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year on October 1, 1996. Seven of the regular appropriations bills were enacted individually between August 6, 1996, and September 30, 1996, and the remaining six were enacted in a consolidated appropriations measure (P.L. 104-208) on September 30, 1996. At the end of the 105th Congress, the House held a lame duck session from December 17, 1998, to December 19, 1998. The Senate did not hold a lame duck session at the end of the 105th Congress. All 13 regular appropriations acts for FY1999 were enacted prior to the lame duck session. Five of the bills were enacted individually between September 20, 1998, and October 21, 1998. The remaining eight regular appropriations bills for FY1999 were enacted on October 21, 1998, in the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999 (P.L. 105-277). Over the three days of its lame duck session, the House considered and passed a resolution of impeachment against President Bill Clinton. At the end of the 106th Congress, lame duck sessions were held in the House from November 13, 2000, to December 15, 2000, and in the Senate from December 5, 2000, to December 15, 2000. Eight of the 13 regular appropriations acts for FY2001 were enacted between July 13, 2000, and November 6, 2000, prior to the lame duck session. Six were enacted separately and two were enacted as part of a consolidated appropriations measure (P.L. 106-377, enacted October 27, 2000).22 Fifteen short-term CRs with durations spanning 1 day to 10 days were enacted prior to the lame duck session. President Bill Clinton also vetoed three regular appropriations bills for FY2001 passed by Congress prior to the lame duck session.23 The five remaining regular appropriations acts for FY2001 were enacted during the lame duck session.24 A consolidated appropriations measure, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001 (P.L. 106-554; enacted December 21, 2000), included the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; and Treasury and General Government appropriations acts. The FY2001 District of Columbia (P.L. 106-522; enacted November 22, 2000) and Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies (P.L. 106-553; enacted December 21, 2000) appropriations acts were enacted separately. Six short-term CRs with durations spanning 1 day to 21 days were also enacted during the lame duck session to provide further interim funding until action on regular appropriations bills was complete. At the end of the 107th Congress, lame duck sessions were held in the House from November 7, 2002, to November 22, 2002, and in the Senate from November 7, 2002, to November 20, 2002. Two of the regular appropriations acts for FY2003—the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2003 (P.L. 107-248), and the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 2003 (P.L. 107-249)—were enacted on October 23, 2002, prior to the lame duck session. Four CRs for FY2003 were also enacted prior to the lame duck session. The only action on appropriations legislation during the lame duck session was the enactment of a short-term CR (P.L. 107-294) on November 23, 2002.25 The CR provided interim funding through January 11, 2003, roughly one week into the 108th Congress. Three more short-term CRs were enacted after the lame duck session during the 108th Congress, the last of which provided interim funding through February 20, 2003. The 11 remaining regular appropriations acts for FY2003 were enacted during the 108th Congress on February 20, 2003, in P.L. 108-7, the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003. At the end of the 108th Congress, lame duck sessions were held in both chambers from November 13, 2004, to December 9, 2004. Four regular appropriations acts for FY2005 were enacted prior to the lame duck session—the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2005 (P.L. 108-287, enacted August 5, 2004); the Military Construction Appropriations Act, 2005 (Division A of P.L. 108-324, enacted October 13, 2004); the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2005 (P.L. 108-334, enacted October 18, 2004); and the District of Columbia Appropriations Act, 2005 (P.L. 108-335, enacted October 18, 2004). One short-term CR was enacted prior to the lame duck session, which provided interim funding from October 1, 2004, through November 20, 2004. Two additional short-term CRs for FY2005 were enacted during the lame duck session. The first (P.L. 108-416, enacted November 21, 2004) extended interim funding through December 3, 2004. The second (P.L. 108-434, enacted December 3, 2004) further extended such funding through December 8, 2004. Congress completed action on the regular appropriations acts for FY2005 during the lame duck session with the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005 (P.L. 108-447) on December 8, 2004. The measure included the nine remaining regular appropriations acts for FY2005. At the end of the 109th Congress, lame duck sessions were held in both chambers from November 13, 2006, to December 9, 2006. Two of the 11 regular appropriations acts for FY2007 were enacted prior to the lame duck session—the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2007 (P.L. 109-289, enacted September 29, 2006) and the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2007 (P.L. 109-295, enacted October 4, 2006). A short-term CR (P.L. 109-289) was enacted to provide interim funding for the nine remaining regular appropriations bills through November 17, 2006. Two additional short-term CRs were enacted during the lame duck session. The second of these (P.L. 109-383) provided interim funding through February 15, 2007, roughly one and a half months into the 110th Congress. No regular appropriations bills for FY2007 were enacted during the lame duck session. The 110th Congress completed action on the nine remaining regular appropriations acts for FY2007 by enacting a full-year CR (P.L. 110-5, enacted February 15, 2007) covering all nine bills through the end of the fiscal year. At the end of the 110th Congress, lame duck sessions were held in the House from November 19, 2008, to January 3, 2009, and in the Senate from November 19, 2008, to January 2, 2009. The Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 110-329), was signed into law on September 30, 2008, prior to the lame duck session. The act included three regular appropriations acts for FY2009—the Department of Defense (Division C), Department of Homeland Security (Division D), and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (Division E) appropriations acts. Division A of the act included a short-term CR providing interim funding for the nine remaining regular appropriations bills through March 6, 2009, or roughly three months into the 111th Congress. Congress took no action on appropriations measures during the lame duck session. The nine remaining regular appropriations acts for FY2009 were enacted during the 111th Congress through the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8), which was signed into law on March 11, 2009. At the end of the 111th Congress, lame duck sessions were held in both chambers from November 15, 2010, to December 15, 2010. None of the regular appropriations bills for FY2011 were enacted prior to the lame duck session. A short-term CR (P.L. 111-242) was enacted on September 30, 2010, which provided interim funding for the 12 regular appropriations bills through December 3, 2010. Three additional short-term CRs were enacted during the lame duck session to extend this interim funding. The last of these (P.L. 111-322, enacted December 22, 2010) extended the interim funding through March 4, 2011, roughly three months into the 112th Congress. Three additional short-term CRs for FY2011 were enacted during the first months of the 112th Congress. The last of these (P.L. 112-8, enacted April 9, 2011) provided interim funding through April 15, 2011. The 112th Congress completed action on regular appropriations bills for FY2011 by enacting the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (P.L. 112-10) on April 15, 2011. Division A of the act included the regular Department of Defense appropriations act for FY2011. Division B included a full-year CR covering the 11 remaining regular bills through the end of the fiscal year. At the end of the 112th Congress, lame duck sessions were held in the House from November 13, 2012, to January 3, 2013, and in the Senate from November 13, 2012, to January 2, 2013. None of the regular appropriations bills for FY2013 were enacted prior to the lame duck session. A short-term CR (P.L. 112-175) was enacted on September 28, 2012, providing interim funding for all 12 regular bills through March 27, 2013, roughly four months into the 113th Congress. Congress took no action on appropriations measures during the lame duck session. The 113th Congress completed action on regular appropriations bills for FY2013 by enacting the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6) on March 26, 2013. Divisions A through E of the act each included one regular appropriations act for FY2013. Division F of the act included a full-year CR covering the seven remaining regular bills through the end of the fiscal year. At the end of the 113th Congress, lame duck sessions were held in the House from November 12, 2014, to January 2, 2015, and in the Senate from November 12, 2014, to December 16, 2014. None of the regular appropriations bills for FY2015 were enacted prior to the lame duck session. A short-term CR (P.L. 113-164) was enacted on September 19, 2014, to provide interim funding for all 12 regular bills through December 11, 2014. Table 3. For more, see CRS Report RL31572, Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920 to 2025, by James V. Saturno.
b. For the purpose of this report, the term "After Lame Duck Session" refers to actions taken on appropriations measures for specified fiscal years by the Congress immediately succeeding the Congress in which the relevant lame duck session was held. For example, appropriations measures for FY2025 enacted by the 119th Congress are considered as appropriations measures enacted after the lame duck session held at the end of the 118th Congress.
c. The 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2025 were covered under a full-year CR (Division A of P.L. 119-4, enacted on March 15, 2025).
d. Seven of the regular appropriations bills for FY2013 were covered under a full-year CR (Division F of P.L. 113-6, enacted on March 26, 2013).
e. Eleven of the regular appropriations bills for FY2011 were covered under a full-year CR (Division B of P.L. 112-10, enacted on April 15, 2011).
f. Nine of the regular appropriations bills for FY2007 were covered under a full-year CR (P.L. 110-5, enacted on February 15, 2007).
No Enactment of Regular Appropriations Bills During a Lame Duck Session
Number of Short-Term Continuing Resolutions Enacted:
Before Lame Duck Session
During Lame Duck Session
After Lame Duck Sessiona
Continuing Resolutions Enacted Before, During, and After Lame Duck
Sessions 1994-2022
Calendar
Year
Number of Continuing Appropriations Acts
Enacted:
Before
Lame Duck
Session
During
Lame Duck
Session
After
Lame Duck
Session
Total
1994 0 0 0 0
1998 6 0 0 6
2000 15 6 0 21
2002 4 1 3 8
2004 1 2 0 3
2006 1 2 1* 4
2008 1 0 0 1
2010 1 3 4* 8
2012 1 0 1* 2
2014 1 3 1 5
2016 1 1 1 3
2018 1 1 1 3
2020 1 4 0 5
2022 1 2 0 3
Total 35 25 12 72
Source: Prepared by CRS using the CRS Appropriations Status Table and congress.gov.
11 In 2002, the CR for FY2003 considered during the lame duck session was signed into law on November 23, the day after the session ended. For purposes of this report, the CR is included among those enacted during a lame duck session because congressional action occurred during the session.
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Notes: * indicates that the final CR enacted for the fiscal year was a full-year CR covering some of the regular appropriations bills for the applicable fiscal year. The only CRs enacted after the lame duck sessions in 2006 and 2012 (for FY2007 and FY2013, respectively) were in the form of full-year CRs covering some of the regular appropriations bills for those fiscal years. This table excludes 1996 because no lame duck session was held at the end of the 104th Congress. All regular appropriations bills for FY1997 were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year, and thus no CRs were needed.
No Enactment of Continuing Resolutions During Lame Duck Sessions
The enactment of CRs did not play a role in four of the lame duck sessions held since 1994 (1994, 1998, 2008, and 2012). No CRs were needed during the lame duck sessions in 1994 and 1998, as all of the regular appropriations bills (for FY1995 and FY1999, respectively) were enacted before the start of the lame duck session.12 No CRs were enacted during the lame duck sessions held in 2008 and 2012 due to the enactment of a CR beforehand that lasted beyond the duration of the lame duck session. On both occasions, the CRs (for FY2009 and FY2013, respectively) enacted prior to the start of the lame duck session provided temporary funding into March of the new Congress.
Enactment of Continuing Resolutions During Lame Duck Sessions
Ten lame duck sessions since 1994 have involved the enactment of one or more CRs. In 2000, six CRs for FY2001 were enacted during the lame duck session. (Fifteen had been enacted before the session began.) In 2020, four CRs were enacted for FY2021 during the lame duck session. (One had been enacted before the session began.) Three CRs were enacted for FY2011 and FY2015 during the lame duck sessions in 2010 and 2014, respectively. (One had been enacted before each of the sessions began.) Either one or two CRs were enacted during each of the remaining six lame duck sessions in 2002 (1), 2004 (2), 2006 (2), 2016 (1), 2018 (1), and 2022 (2).
Enactment of Continuing Resolutions After Lame Duck Sessions
For five of the fiscal years that coincided with lame duck sessions since 1994 (FY2003, FY2011, FY2015, FY2017, and FY2019), one or more additional CRs were required in the new Congress to provide continued interim funding after the lame duck session of the previous Congress was over. CRs were enacted after two other lame duck sessions (2006 and 2012), but the only CRs enacted by the new Congress were in the form of a full-year CR covering some of the regular appropriations bills (for FY2007 and FY2013, respectively). A full-year CR covering some of the regular appropriations bills for FY2011 was also enacted by the new Congress after the lame duck session in 2010, but the new Congress had enacted three interim CRs prior to its enactment.
12 All of the regular appropriations bills for FY1995 were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year and thus before the lame duck session began. All of the regular appropriations bills for FY1999 were enacted before the lame duck session began but not prior to the start of the fiscal year. Six CRs were enacted for FY1999 prior to action being completed on all regular appropriations bills on October 21.
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Summary of Congressional Action on Appropriations Measures Enacted Before, During, and After Each Lame Duck Session Held Between 1994-2022
A brief summary of action on regular appropriations and CRs enacted before, during, and after each of the 14 lame duck sessions that occurred from 1994 through 2022 is provided below.
1994 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 103rd Congress, a lame duck session was held from November 29, 1994, to December 1, 1994.
All 13 of the regular appropriations acts for FY1995 were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year on October 1, before the lame duck session began. All were enacted separately. No CRs were needed.
No Lame Duck Session Held in 1996
No lame duck session was held in 1996 at the end of the 104th Congress. All regular appropriations bills for FY1997 were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year. Seven regular appropriations bills were enacted individually, and the remaining six were enacted in a consolidated measure on September 30 (P.L. 104-208).
1998 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 105th Congress, a lame duck session was held in the House from December 17, 1998, to December 19, 1998.
All 13 of the regular appropriations acts for FY1999 were enacted prior to the lame duck session—five separately and eight in a consolidated measure, the FY1999 Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act (P.L. 105-277; October 21, 1998). Six CRs were enacted to provide interim funding from the start of the fiscal year on October 1 until action on all regular appropriations bills was completed on October 21.
Over the three days of the 1998 lame duck session, the House considered and passed a resolution of impeachment against President Bill Clinton. The Senate was not in session.
2000 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 106th Congress, a lame duck session was held from November 13, 2000, to December 15, 2000.
Eight of the 13 regular appropriations acts for FY2001 were enacted prior to the lame duck session—six separately and two as part of a consolidated measure, the FY2001 VA-HUD Appropriations Act (P.L. 106-377; October 27, 2000), which also included funding for the FY2001 Energy-Water Development Appropriations Act. Fifteen short-term CRs were also enacted before the lame duck session began.
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The remaining five regular appropriations acts for FY2001 were enacted during the lame duck session.13 A consolidated measure, the FY2001 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 106-554; December 21, 2000), covered the following three regular appropriations acts: (1) Labor-HHS- Education, (2) Legislative Branch, and (3) Treasury-Postal Service. The FY2001 District of Columbia Appropriations Act (P.L. 106-522; November 22, 2000) and the FY2001 Commerce- Justice-State Appropriations Act (P.L. 106-553; December 21, 2000) were enacted separately. Six CRs were also enacted during the lame duck session that provided interim funding until action on all of the regular appropriations bills was complete.
2002 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 107th Congress, a lame duck session was held from November 7, 2002, to November 22, 2002.
Two of the regular appropriations acts for FY2003 were enacted before the lame duck session began—the FY2003 Defense Appropriations Act (P.L. 107-248) and the FY2003 Military Construction Appropriations Act (P.L. 107-249). They both became law on October 23, 2002. Four CRs for FY2003 were also enacted before the lame duck session began.
One additional CR for the fiscal year was enacted during the lame duck session (P.L. 107-294; November 23, 2002)14 but no regular appropriations acts were considered during the session.
Three more CRs were enacted early in the next Congress, and all of the remaining 11 regular appropriations acts for FY2003 were subsequently enacted as a single measure, the FY2003 Consolidated Appropriations Resolution (P.L. 108-7; February 20, 2003), several weeks into the new Congress.
2004 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 108th Congress, a lame duck session was held from November 16, 2004, to December 8, 2004.
Four of the 13 regular appropriations acts for FY2005 were enacted separately before the lame duck session began (the Defense, District of Columbia, Homeland Security, and Military Construction Appropriations Acts). One CR was also enacted before the lame duck session began.
Two additional CRs for FY2005 were enacted during the lame duck session: P.L. 108-416 (November 21, 2004) and P.L. 108-434 (December 3, 2004). The remaining nine regular appropriations acts for FY2005 were then enacted during the lame duck session as part of a consolidated measure, the FY2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 108-447; December 8, 2004).
13 The House and Senate passed five regular appropriations acts for FY2001 during the lame duck session, but four of them were signed into law on December 21, 2000, six days after the session had ended. For purposes of this report, all five acts are regarded as having been enacted during the lame duck session because this delay was not due to congressional inaction.
14 Congress passed the CR during the lame duck session, but it was signed into law on November 23, the day after the session ended. For the purpose of this report, the CR is considered to have been enacted during the lame duck session because this delay was not due to congressional inaction.
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2006 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 109th Congress, a lame duck session was held from November 13, 2006, to December 9, 2006.
Two of the 11 regular appropriations acts for FY2007 were separately enacted before the lame duck session began. The FY2007 Defense Appropriations Act (P.L. 109-289) and the FY2007 Homeland Security Appropriations Act (P.L. 109-295) were signed into law on September 29 and October 4, respectively. Interim funding for the nine remaining appropriations acts was provided through November 17 by a CR enacted on September 29 (P.L. 109-289).
Two additional CRs were passed during the lame duck session. P.L. 109-369 was enacted on November 17 to provide appropriations through December 8. When it became apparent that action on regular appropriations would not be completed, P.L. 109-383 was enacted on December 9 to provide appropriations through February 15, 2007.
Action on the nine remaining regular appropriations acts was completed during the following session of Congress via a full-year CR (H.J.Res. 20) that was signed into law on February 15, 2007 (P.L. 110-5).
2008 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 110th Congress, a lame duck session was held from November 19, 2008, to January 3, 2009.
Three of the 12 regular appropriations acts for FY2009 (Defense, Homeland Security, and Military Construction/Veterans Affairs) were enacted before the lame duck session as part of the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, which became law on September 30 (P.L. 110-329). The CR portion of this act extended funding for the nine remaining appropriations acts through March 6, 2009.
Congress took no action on appropriations during the 2008 lame duck session.
The remaining regular appropriations acts for FY2009 were enacted in the early days of the 111th Congress in the FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which the President signed on March 11, 2009 (P.L. 111-8).
2010 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 111th Congress, a lame duck session was held from November 4, 2010, to December 19, 2010.
None of the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2011 had been enacted by the pre-election recess, and only two regular appropriations bills for FY2011 (Military Construction/Veterans Affairs and Transportation/Housing and Urban Development) had been passed by the House. A CR (P.L. 111-242) was enacted on September 30 that provided interim funding for all 12 bills through December 3.
None of the regular appropriations bills was enacted during the 2010 lame duck session. Interim funding for FY2011 was further extended through March 4, 2011, by three additional CRs (P.L. 111-290, enacted on December 4, 2010; P.L. 111-317, enacted on December 18, 2010; and P.L. 111-322, enacted on December 22, 2010).
In the first months of the 112th Congress, three additional CRs further extended this interim funding (P.L. 112-4, enacted on March 2, 2011; P.L. 112-6, enacted on March 18, 2011; and P.L.
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112-8, enacted on April 9, 2011). The appropriations process for FY2011 was ultimately completed on April 15, 2011, through the enactment of P.L. 112-110, the FY2011 Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act. Division A of the act contained the FY2011 Defense appropriations act, while funding for the remaining 11 bills was provided in Division B through a full-year CR.
2012 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 112th Congress, a lame duck session was held from November 9, 2012, to January 3, 2013.
None of the regular appropriations bills had been enacted by the pre-election recess. Seven bills had been passed by the House and none by the Senate. A CR (P.L. 112-175) was enacted on September 28, 2012, to provide interim funding through March 27, 2013.
Congress took no action on appropriations for FY2013 during the lame duck session.
The appropriations process for FY2013 was completed by the new Congress on March 26, 2013, through the enactment of P.L. 113-6, the FY2013 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act. Five of the 12 regular bills were enacted in Divisions A-E of the act, while funding for the remaining seven was provided through a full-year CR contained in Division F of the act.
2014 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 113th Congress, a lame duck session was held from November 12, 2014, to January 3, 2015.
Because none of the regular appropriations bills had been enacted by the start of the fiscal year, a CR was enacted before the lame duck session to provide interim funding through December 11, 2014 (P.L. 113-164, September 19, 2014).
During the lame duck session, 11 of the 12 regular appropriations acts for FY2015 were enacted on December 16, 2014, as part of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235). Divisions A through K of the act each included one regular appropriations act for FY2015. Division L included a short-term CR for the one remaining regular bill—Department of Homeland Security—). That law also contained a CR that provided further interim funding for the DHS appropriations bill through February 27, 2015. Two additional CRs (P.L. 113-202, December 12, 2014; and P.L. 113-203, December 13, 2014) were enacted during the lame duck session to provide short-term appropriations while the consolidated measure was being completed.
During the next congressional session, one further CR (P.L. 114-3) was enacted to extend interim funding for DHS through March 6, 2015. The FY2015 agency through February 27, 2015, roughly two months into the 114th Congress.
One additional short-term CR was enacted during the 114th Congress to provide further interim funding for the Department of Homeland Security through March 6, 2015 (P.L. 114-3, enacted February 27, 2015). The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015 ( (P.L. 114-4)), was enacted on March 4, 2015.
2016
114th Congress Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 114th Congress, a lame duck session was heldsessions were held in both chambers from November 14, 2016, to January 23, 2017.
One regular appropriations billact for FY2017—Division A of P.L. 114-223, the for FY2017 (Military Construction and, Veterans Affairs) was enacted before the lame duck session began (P.L. 114-223). That law also contained a and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017—was enacted prior to the lame duck session. Division C of the act included a short-term CR providing interim funding for the other 11 appropriations bills for FY2017 11 remaining bills through December 9, 2016.
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During the lame duck session, a second CR was enacted on December 10 to extend interim funding through April 28, 2017 (P.L. 114-254).
One additional short-term CR (Division A of P.L. 114-254, enacted December 10, 2016) was enacted during the lame duck session, providing further interim funding for the remaining 11 regular bills through April 28, 2017, roughly five months into the 115th Congress. Division B of the measure included the Security Assistance Appropriations Act, 2017, a supplemental appropriations measure for FY2017. In the next Congress, a third CR was enacted on April 28 that further extended interim funding
P.L. 115-30). A consolidated appropriations measure (P.L. 115-31) containing the remaining 11 regular appropriations bills for FY2017 was signed into law on May 5, 2017.
2018 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 115th Congress, a lame duck session was heldsessions were held in both chambers from November 13, 2018, to January 3, 2019.
Two consolidated appropriations measures (P.L. 115-244, enacted September 21, 2018, and P.L. 115-245, enacted September 28, 2018), containing a total of five regular appropriation bills for FY2019 (Energy and Water Development, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Defense and Labor-HHS-Education), were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year, were enacted prior to the lame duck session. Division C of P.L. 115-245 included a short-term CR providing interim funding for the seven remaining regular bills through December 7, 2018.
A second short-term CR (P.L. 115-298, enacted December 7, 2018) was enacted during the lame duck session to provide further interim funding for the seven remaining regular bills through December 21, 2018P.L. 115-245 contained a CR that provided interim funding through December 7, 2018, for the agencies and activities covered by the remaining seven regular appropriations bills.
During the lame duck session, a second CR (P.L. 115-298) was enacted on December 7 to extend interim funding for the seven remaining bills through December 21. The House and Senate were unable to reach agreement on a third short-term CR (H.R. 695)) during the lame duck session, causing funding to lapse afteron December 21.
The funding lapse continued for 34 full days until January 25, 2019, when a third short-term CR (P.L. 116-5) was enacted during the new116th Congress to provide interim funding for the seven remaining regular bills through February 15, 2019. The seven remaining regular appropriations acts were enacted in a consolidated appropriations measure—the FY2019the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-6)—), on February 15, 2019.15
202026
116th Congress Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 116th Congress, a lame duck session was heldsessions were held in the House from November 16, 2020, to January 3, 2021, and in the Senate from November 9, 2020, to January 3, 2021.
None of the 12 regular appropriations acts was enacted prior to the beginning of FY2021. Consequently, Congress passed a CR covering all 12 bills on October 1 to provide interim funding through December 11 (P.L. 116-159). Congress then extended continuing appropriations for FY2021 four times during the lame duck session, enacting CRs on December 11 (P.L. 116- 215), December 18 (P.L. 116-225), December 20 (P.L. 116-226), and December 22 (P.L. 116- 246).
No regular appropriations bills for FY2021 were enacted prior to the lame duck session. A short-term CR (Division A of P.L. 116-159, enacted October 1, 2020) was enacted to provide interim funding for the 12 regular bills through December 11, 2020. On December 21
of, 2021, which the President signed into law on December 27, 2020 ( (P.L. 116-260). Divisions A-L of the act provided funding for all 12 of theeach included one regular appropriations billsbill for FY2021. Division M of the measure included the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023.
117th Congress Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 117th Congress, lame duck sessions were held in both chambers for FY2021.
15 For a more detailed discussion of this topic, see CRS Report R45906, Congressional Action on FY2019 Appropriations Measures: 115th and 116th Congresses.
Enactment of Appropriations Measures During Lame Duck Sessions
Congressional Research Service R46574 · VERSION 6 · UPDATED 13
2022 Lame Duck Session
At the end of the 117th Congress, a lame duck session was held from November 14, 2022, to January 3, 2023.
None of the 12 regular appropriations actsbills for FY2023 waswere enacted prior to the start of the fiscal yearlame duck session. An initial CR (short-term CR (Division A of P.L. 117-180) was enacted on September 30, which provided2023, to provide interim funding for all 12 bills through December 16. This CR was extended through subsequent CRs on two occasions during the lame duck session. A second CR (P.L. 117-229) was enacted on December 16 to provide temporary funding through December 23, and a third CR (P.L. 117-264) was enacted on December 23 to provide temporary funding through December 30.
During the lame duck session, two additional short-term CRs were enacted to continue this interim funding. The first (Division A of P.L. 117-229, enacted December 16, 2022) provided interim funding through December 23, 2022. The second (Division A of P.L. 117-264, enacted December 23, 2022) provided interim funding through December 30, 2022. At the end of the 118th Congress, lame duck sessions were held in both chambers from November 12, 2024, to January 3, 2025. None of the regular appropriations bills for FY2025 were enacted prior to the lame duck session. An initial short-term CR (Division A of P.L. 118-83) was enacted on September 26, 2024, to provide interim funding for all 12 regular bills through December 20, 2024. One additional short-term CR for FY2025 was enacted during the lame duck session (Division A of P.L. 118-158, enacted December 21, 2024), to provide interim funding for the 12 regular bills through March 14, 2025, roughly three and a half months into the 119th Congress. Division B of the act included the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2025. The 119th Congress completed action on regular appropriations bills for FY2025 by enacting the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2025 (Division A of P.L. 119-4) on March 15, 2025. The act included a full-year CR covering the 12 regular appropriations bills through the end of the fiscal year. Prior versions of this report were written by Robert Keith, formerly a Specialist in American National Government at CRS; Jessica Tollestrup, Specialist in Social Policy; Megan Lynch, Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process; and Kevin P. McNellis, formerly an Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process. The listed author is available to respond to inquiries on the subject from congressional clients. For more on the annual appropriations process, see CRS Report R47106, The Appropriations Process: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno and Megan S. Lynch. Regular appropriations bills may be enacted individually or as part of a consolidated appropriations act (commonly referred to as an "omnibus"). For more information on omnibus appropriations acts, see CRS Insight IN12324, Omnibus Appropriations: Overview of Recent Practice. For more on continuing resolutions, see CRS Report R46595, Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Practices, coordinated by James V. Saturno. For more on full-year CRs, see CRS Report R48731, Full-Year Continuing Resolutions: Frequently Asked Questions, by Drew C. Aherne, Dominick A. Fiorentino, and Taylor N. Riccard. No lame duck sessions were held at the end of the 104th Congress after the 1996 election. For more information, see CRS Report RS20722, The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the Senate Floor and CRS Report RL30725, The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the House Floor, by Christopher M. Davis. CRS Report R45154, Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2022 (74th-117th Congresses), by Jane A. Hudiburg. According to CRS Report R45154, Lame Duck Sessions of Congress, 1935-2022 (74th-117th Congresses), by Jane A. Hudiburg, "The possibility of a lame duck session of Congress in the modern sense began with the ratification of the Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution. Under this amendment, ratified in 1933, the terms of Members begin and end on January 3 of odd-numbered years. Congress convenes in a regular session on January 3 of each year unless it passes a law changing the date. Thus, the 74th Congress (1935-1937) was the first to begin its first session and the terms of its Members on the new date." This includes lame duck sessions held after the 1994, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024 elections. FY1995, FY1999, FY2001, FY2003, FY2005, FY2007, FY2009, FY2011, FY2013, FY2015, FY2017, FY2019, FY2021, FY2023, and FY2025. All 13 regular appropriations bills for FY1995 were enacted prior to October 1, 1994. As a result, no CR was needed prior to the lame duck session held at the end of the 103rd Congress. In 2000, the House and Senate passed five regular appropriations acts for FY2001 during the lame duck session, but four of them were signed into law on December 21, six days after the session had ended. For purposes of this report, all five acts are regarded as having been enacted during the lame duck session. The remaining regular appropriations bill for FY2015—the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 114-4)—was enacted March 4, 2015, during the 114th Congress. Eleven of the regular appropriations bills for FY2011 were covered under a full-year CR—Division B of P.L. 112-10—enacted on April 15, 2011; 7 of the regular appropriations bills for FY2013 were covered under a full-year CR—Division F of P.L. 113-6—enacted on March 26, 2013; and all 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2025 were covered under a full-year CR—Division A of P.L. 119-4—enacted on March 15, 2025. For more on funding gaps, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. For more on government shutdowns, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass. For example, see Juliegrace Brufke, "Johnson Rallies House GOP on Shutdown Fight," Axios, September 4, 2024, https://www.axios.com/2024/09/04/johnson-rallies-house-gop-on-shutdown-fight. See also Hans Nichols, "Scoop: White House, Dems Plot 3-Month Funding Plan," Axios, September 8, 2024, https://www.axios.com/2024/09/08/spending-bill-congress-white-house. In 2002, a CR for FY2003 (P.L. 107-294) passed both chambers of Congress during the lame duck session, but was not signed into law until November 23, the day after the session ended. For purpose of this report, this CR is included among those enacted during a lame duck session. All regular appropriations bills for FY1995 were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year and thus before the lame duck session began. All regular appropriations bills for FY1999 were enacted before the lame duck session began but not prior to the start of the fiscal year. Six CRs were enacted for FY1999 prior to action being completed on all regular appropriations bills on October 21, 1998. The Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2009 (Division A of P.L. 110-329), enacted September 30, 2008, provided interim funding for FY2009 from October 1, 2008, through March 6, 2009. The Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 (P.L. 112-175), enacted September 28, 2012, provided interim funding for FY2013 from October 1, 2012, through March 27, 2013. For more, see Congressional Budget Office (CBO), "CBO Report: Supplemental Appropriations Enacted Since Fiscal Year 2000 (as of December 21, 2024)," June 13, 2025, https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-06/2024-12-21-Supplemental-Appropriations.pdf; and CBO, "Supplemental Appropriations in the 1990s," March 2001, https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2018-07/1990s.pdf. The measure enacted into law by reference H.R. 5482, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001, and H.R. 5483, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2001. On October 7, 2000, President Clinton vetoed H.R. 4733, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2001. On October 11, 2000, the House voted 315-98 to override the President's veto, but the Senate did not take similar action to override the veto, so the measure did not become law. On October 30, 2000, President Clinton vetoed H.R. 4516, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001. Division B of this act also would have enacted by reference H.R. 4985, the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act, 2001. Neither the House nor Senate took action to override the President's veto, so the measure did not become law. The House and Senate passed five regular appropriations acts for FY2001 during the lame duck session, but four of them were signed into law on December 21, 2000, six days after the session ended. For purposes of this report, all five acts are regarded as having been enacted during the lame duck session. Congress passed the CR during the lame duck session, but it was not signed into law until November 23, the day after the session ended. For the purpose of this report, the CR is considered to have been enacted during the lame duck session. For more information on the appropriations process for FY2019, see CRS Report R45906, Congressional Action on FY2019 Appropriations Measures: 115th and 116th Congresses.On December 22, 2023.
which contained all 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2023. The House passed H.R. 2617 the following day, on December 23, and thea consolidated appropriations measure containing the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2023. Divisions A through L of the act each contained one regular appropriations bill. The measure also included two supplemental appropriations measures—Division M, the Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023; and Division N, the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023. The House passed the measure the following day, on December 23, 2022. The President signed the measure into law (P.L. 117-328) on December 29, 2022.
118th Congress Lame Duck Session
Footnotes
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Section 2 of the Twentieth Amendment states: "The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day." See "Constitution Annotated" on the CRS website at https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-20/.
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Author Information
Drew C. Aherne Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process
Acknowledgments
Prior versions of this report were written by Robert Keith, formerly a Specialist in American National Government at CRS; Jessica Tollestrup, Specialist in Social Policy; Megan Lynch, Specialist on Congress and the Legislative Process; and Kevin P. McNellis, formerly an Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process. The listed author is available to respond to inquiries on the subject from congressional clients.
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.