The FY2016 Continuing Resolution (H.R. 719)

The FY2016 Continuing Resolution (H.R. 719)

CRS INSIGHT
The FY2016 Continuing Resolution (H.R. 719)
September 25, 2015 (IN10148)
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Jessica Tollestrup, Analyst on Congress and the Legislative Process (jtollestrup@crs.loc.gov, 7-0941)
Funding for most federal government departments and agencies is provided in annual appropriations acts. When one or
more regular appropriations acts have not been enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1), temporary
funding to continue the operations of the federal government is typically provided in a continuing appropriations act
(often referred to as a "continuing resolution" or CR).
No regular appropriations acts for FY2016 have been enacted, or are expected to be enacted, by October 1.
On September 22, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute
(S.Amdt. 2669) that would provide temporary FY2016 continuing appropriations through December 11, 2015. This
amendment was offered to an unrelated measure that was pending before the Senate (Hire More Heroes Act of 2015;
H.J.Res 61). On September 24, the Senate did not achieve the necessary three-fifths vote to invoke cloture on H.J.Res.
61, 47-52. Subsequently, Majority Leader McConnell made a motion to consider an alternate Senate amendment
(S.Amdt. 2689) to provide temporary FY2016 continuing appropriations through December 11 in the form of a further
Senate amendment to a different, unrelated measure pending before the Senate (TSA Office of Inspection
Accountability Act of 2015, H.R. 719).
As offered, the CR would generally provide budget authority for projects and activities through a formula that
references the purposes and amounts in the previous fiscal year's regular appropriations acts (Divisions A-K of the
FY2015 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, P.L. 113-235; and Department of Homeland
Security Appropriations Act, 2015, P.L. 114-4), with some exceptions.
The CR covers all 12 regular appropriations acts funded therein. The funding in the CR is provided under the same
authority and conditions, and to the same extent and manner, as was provided in the referenced FY2015 appropriations
acts (Sections 101, 103, and 104). In addition, many of the FY2015 provisions that stipulated or otherwise placed limits
on agency authorities during that fiscal year would also apply to the FY2016 funds provided by the CR (Section 104).
Projects and activities covered by the CR would be funded at the rate they were funded in the FY2015 Consolidated
Act, minus an across-the-board reduction of less than 1% (0.2108%) (Section 101[b]). This percentage reduction would
also apply to FY2016 advance appropriations that were previously enacted (Section 115). It would not apply to funds in
the CR designated as Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism, disaster relief (Section 114[b][1]), or
an emergency (Section 135). The reduction also does not apply to certain funds in the Social Security Administration—
Limitation on Administrative Expenses account for continuing disability reviews and redeterminations (Section 114[b]
[2]) or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services—Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control account (Section 114[b]
[3]). For entitlement and other mandatory spending that is funded through appropriations acts, the CR provides funding
to maintain program levels under current law (Section 111).
According to the Congressional Budget Office, on an annualized basis, the CR provides about $1,016.582 billion in
budget authority for FY2016 that is subject to the statutory limits on discretionary spending. A total of $83.380 billion
in additional spending is designated or otherwise provided so as to be effectively exempt from the statutory

discretionary spending limits. The vast majority of this spending is designated as for Overseas Contingency
Operations/Global War on Terrorism ($74.758 billion). It also includes an additional $700 million in emergency-
designated spending for wildfire suppression. The total appropriations in the CR are $1,099.962 billion in annualized
budget authority.
The CR enumerates certain exceptions to the purposes, amount of funds, or other authorities that would be made
available through its formula. Such exceptions are referred to as "anomalies." The CR also contains provisions that
would extend expiring statutory provisions in other laws or make other changes to existing law. For information about
these provisions, please contact the relevant CRS expert listed below.
Table 1. Selected CRS Appropriations Experts
CRS Expert Name,
CR
Phone Number, and
Appropriations Title
Topic
Section
Email
Agriculture, Rural
Commodity
116
Randy Aussenberg, 7-
Development, Food
Assistance
8641,
and Drug
Program
raussenberg@crs.loc.gov
Administration, and
Related Agencies

Rural Housing
117
Maggie McCarty, 7-
2163,
mmccarty@crs.loc.gov
Commerce, Justice,
Department of
118
Harold F. Upton, 7-
Science, and Related
Commerce—
2264,
Agencies
National Oceanic
hupton@crs.loc.gov
and Atmospheric
Administration

Department of
119
Nathan James, 7-0264,
Justice—United
njames@crs.loc.gov
States Marshals
Service

Science Agencies— 120
Daniel Morgan, 7-5849,
National
dmorgan@crs.loc.gov
Aeronautic and
Space
Administration

Broadband
121
Lennard G. Kruger, 7-
Technology
7070,
Opportunities
lkruger@crs.loc.gov
Program
Department of Defense
122
Pat Towell, 7-2122,
ptowell@crs.loc.gov
Energy and Water

123
Mark Holt, 7-1704,
Development and
mholt@crs.loc.gov
Related Agencies
Financial Services and

124-128
Baird Webel, 7-0652,
General Government
bwebel@crs.loc.gov
Department of

129-133
William L. Painter, 7-
Homeland Security
3335,
wpainter@crs.loc.gov
Departments of the

134-138
Carol Hardy Vincent, 7-
Interior, Environment,
8651,

and Related Agencies
chvincent@crs.loc.gov
Departments of Labor,
Department of
139
Sarah A. Lister, 7-7320,
Health and Human
Health and Human
slister@crs.loc.gov
Services, and
Services (HHS)—
Education, and Related Centers for Disease
Agencies
Control and
Prevention

Department of
140
Jeffrey J. Kuenzi, 7-
Education (ED)—
8645,
Highly Qualified
jkuenzi@crs.loc.gov
Teachers

HHS—State
141
Alison Mitchell, 7-0152,
Children's Health
amitchell@crs.loc.gov
Insurance Program

ED—National
142
Alexandra Hegji, 7-
Advisory
8384,
Committee on
adhegji@crs.loc.gov
Institutional
Quality and
Integrity
Legislative Branch

143
Ida A. Brudnick, 7-6460,
ibrudnick@crs.loc.gov
Military Construction
Veterans Affairs
144-146
Sidath Viranga
and Veterans Affairs,
Panangala, 7-0623,
and Related Agencies
spanangala@crs.loc.gov
Department of State,
International
147
Alex Tiersky, 7-7367,
Foreign Operations,
Religious Freedom
atiersky@crs.loc.gov
and Related Programs

Ukraine assistance
148
Susan Epstein, 7-6678,
sepstein@crs.loc.gov;
Marian Lawson, 7-4475,
mlawson@crs.loc.gov

Public Diplomacy
149
Matthew Weed, 7-4589,
Commission
mweed@crs.loc.gov
Transportation,
Department of
150
Maggie McCarty, 7-
Housing and Urban
Housing and Urban
2163,
Development, and
Development
mmccarty@crs.loc.gov
Related Agencies
For more information on continuing resolutions, including historical data on their duration and frequency of enactment,
see CRS Report R42647, Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Recent Practices, by Jessica
Tollestrup.
For more information about the FY2016 appropriations process, see CRS Report R44062, Congressional Action on
FY2016 Appropriations Measures, by Jessica Tollestrup.