Order Code RS20348
Updated September 24, 2008
Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview
Robert Keith
Specialist in American National Government
Government and Finance Division
Summary
The interval during the fiscal year when agency appropriations are not enacted into
law, either in the form of a regular appropriations act or a continuing resolution, is
referred to as a funding gap. When a funding gap occurs, the federal government begins
a shutdown of the affected agencies, entailing the prompt furlough of non-emergency
personnel and curtailment of agency activities.
During the period covering FY1977-FY2008, 17 funding gaps occurred, ranging
in duration from one day to 21 full days. About half of these funding gaps were brief
(i.e., three days or less in duration), with most occurring over a weekend, and the
disruption in federal operations was minimal. In late 1995 and early 1996, President Bill
Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress engaged in difficult and protracted
negotiations over budget policy, resulting in the veto of a continuing resolution and
several regular appropriations acts for FY1996. Two funding gaps, amounting to five
days and 21 days ensued, with about 800,000 federal employees furloughed initially.
There have been no funding gaps since the two that occurred in FY1996.
This report will be updated.
Background
The routine activities of most federal agencies are funded annually by one or more
of the regular appropriations acts. When action on the regular appropriations acts is
delayed, a continuing appropriations act is used to provide interim funding. Measures
providing continuing appropriations usually take the form of a joint resolution (rather than
a bill) and are referred to as continuing resolutions (or CRs).
During the 57-year period covering FY1952-FY2008, all of the regular
appropriations acts were enacted on time in only four instances (FY1977, FY1989,
FY1995, and FY1997). No continuing resolutions were enacted for three of these fiscal
years, but continuing resolutions were enacted for FY1977 to fund certain unauthorized
programs whose funding had been dropped from the regular appropriations acts. Further,
CRS-2
no continuing resolutions were enacted for FY1953 even though all but one of the regular
appropriations were enacted late.1
The Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. 1341-1342, 1511-1519) generally bars agencies
from continued operation in the absence of appropriations.2 Exceptions are made under
the act, including for activities involving “the safety of human life or the protection of
property.” The interval during the fiscal year when agency appropriations are not enacted
into law, either in the form of a regular appropriations act or a CR, is referred to as a
funding gap. Although funding gaps may occur at the start of the fiscal year, they also
may occur any time a CR expires and another CR (or the regular appropriations bill) is
not enacted immediately thereafter. Also, multiple funding gaps may occur for a fiscal
year.
In 1980 and 1981, Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti issued opinions clarifying
the need for federal agencies to begin terminating regular activities immediately upon the
occurrence of a funding gap.3 Consequently, when a funding gap occurs, the federal
government begins a shutdown of the affected agencies. A shutdown entails the prompt
furlough of non-emergency personnel and curtailment of agency activities, including the
provision of many services to the public.4 The general practice of the federal government
over the years has been to pay furloughed employees, after the shutdown has ended, for
time missed, even when no work was performed.
In order to avoid funding gaps and their unwanted consequences, proposals have
been offered from time to time to establish an “automatic continuing resolution” (ACR)
that would provide a fallback source of funding for activities, at a restricted level, in the
event the timely enactment of appropriations is disrupted.5 The funding would become
available automatically and remain available as long as needed so that a funding gap
would not occur and the furlough of federal employees would be avoided (or at least
severely limited). Although the House and Senate have considered ACR proposals in the
past, none have been enacted into law.
1 Section 1414 of P.L. 82-547 (66 Stat. 661) made regular appropriations enacted late available
as of July 1, 1952 (the first day of FY1953) and ratified any obligations incurred before their
enactment.
2 The Antideficiency Act is discussed in CRS Report RL30795, General Management Laws: A
Compendium, Clinton T. Brass (coordinator), on pp. 93-97. In addition, the Government
Accountability Office provides information about the act online at:
[http://www.gao.gov/ada/antideficiency.htm].
3 The text of the opinions is included in Appendix IV and Appendix VIII to then General
Accounting Office (now Government Accountability Office) report PAD-81-31, Funding Gaps
Jeopardize Federal Government Operations, March 3, 1981.
4 For a discussion of federal government shutdowns, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the
Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, by Clinton T. Brass.
5 For more information on this topic, see CRS Report RL30339, Preventing Federal Government
Shutdowns: Proposals for an Automatic Continuing Resolution, by Robert Keith.
CRS-3
Funding Gaps: FY1977-FY2008
As Table 1 shows, there were 17 funding gaps during the 32-year period beginning
with FY1977 and continuing through FY2008. (FY1977 marked the first full
implementation of the congressional budget process established by the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974.) The enactment of a CR on the day after the previous CR expired,
which has occurred often, is not counted as involving a funding gap. During the past nine
fiscal years (covering FY2000-FY2008), for example, “next-day” CRs were enacted 14
times.
Most of the funding gaps occurred during the first half of the 32-year period. During
the 16-year period covering FY1977-FY1992, 15 funding gaps occurred. However, only
two funding gaps occurred during the remaining 16 years, covering FY1993-FY2008.
Multiple funding gaps occurred in four instances: (1) three gaps covering a total of
28 days in FY1978; (2) two gaps covering a total of four days in FY1983; (3) two gaps
covering a total of three days in FY1985; and (4) two gaps covering a total of 26 days in
FY1996.
Six of the funding gaps commenced with the beginning of the fiscal year on October
1. The remaining 11 funding gaps occurred at least several days after the fiscal year had
begun. Nine of the funding gaps ended in October, four ended in November, three ended
in December, and one ended in January.6
Funding gaps ranged in duration from one to 21 full days. Six of the seven lengthiest
funding gaps, lasting between 8 and 17 days, occurred between FY1977 and FY1980,
before the Civiletti opinions were issued. After the issuance of these opinions, the
duration of funding gaps in general shortened considerably (ranging from one to three
days, with the longer gaps occurring over the weekend). An important exception to this
trend occurred in late 1995 and early 1996, when President Bill Clinton and the
Republican-controlled Congress engaged in difficult and protracted negotiations over
budget policy, resulting in the veto of a continuing resolution and several regular
appropriations acts for FY1996. Two funding gaps, amounting to five days and 21 days
ensued, with about 800,000 federal employees furloughed initially.
There have been no funding gaps since the two that occurred in FY1996.
6 The enactment of a series of continuing resolutions for a fiscal year is discussed in CRS Report
RL32614, Duration of Continuing Resolutions in Recent Years, by Robert Keith.
CRS-4
Table 1. Appropriations Funding Gaps: FY1977-FY2008
Fiscal
Date Gap
Full Day(s)
Date Gap
Year
Commenced a
of Gaps
Terminated b
1977
Thursday, 09-30-76
10
Monday, 10-11-76
1978
Friday, 09-30-77
12
Thursday, 10-13-77
Monday, 10-31-77
8
Wednesday, 11-09-77
Wednesday, 11-30-77
8
Friday, 12-09-77
1979
Saturday, 09-30-78
17
Wednesday, 10-18-78
1980
Sunday, 09-30-79
11
Friday, 10-12-79
1981
—
—
—
1982
Friday, 11-20-81
2
Monday, 11-23-81
1983
Thursday, 09-30-82
1
Saturday, 10-02-82
Friday, 12-17-82
3
Tuesday, 12-21-82
1984
Thursday, 11-10-83
3
Monday, 11-14-83
1985
Sunday, 09-30-84
2
Wednesday, 10-03-84
Wednesday, 10-03-84
1
Friday, 10-05-84
1986
—
—
—
1987
Thursday, 10-16-86
1
Saturday, 10-18-86
1988
Friday, 12-18-87
1
Sunday, 12-20-87
1989
—
—
—
1990
—
—
—
1991
Friday, 10-05-90
3
Tuesday, 10-09-90
1992
—
—
—
1993
—
—
—
1994
—
—
—
1995
—
—
—
1996
Monday, 11-13-95
5
Sunday, 11-19-95
Friday, 12-15-95
21
Saturday, 01-06-96
CRS-5
Fiscal
Date Gap
Full Day(s)
Date Gap
Year
Commenced a
of Gaps
Terminated b
1997
—
—
—
1998
—
—
—
1999
—
—
—
2000
—
—
—
2001
—
—
—
2002
—
—
—
2003
—
—
—
2004
—
—
—
2005
—
—
—
2006
—
—
—
2007
—
—
—
2008
—
—
—
Source: Prepared by the Congressional Research Service.
a. Gap commenced at midnight of the date indicated. The enactment of a CR on the day after the
previous CR expired, which has occurred often, is not counted as involving a funding gap.
b. Gap terminated due to the enactment of a further continuing resolution or one or more regular
appropriations acts.