The program activities of most federal agencies are generally funded on an annual basis through the enactment of regular appropriations acts. When those annual appropriations acts are not enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1), one or more continuing appropriations acts (commonly known as continuing resolutions or CRs) may be enacted to provide temporary funding to continue certain programs and activities until action on the regular appropriations acts is completed.
There are six main features of CRs. First, CRs have provided funding for certain activities (coverage), which are typically specified with reference to the prior fiscal year's appropriations acts. Second, CRs provide budget authority for a specified duration of time. This duration may be as short as a single day or as long as the remainder of the fiscal year. Third, in recent practice, CRs have typically provided funds based on an overall funding rate rather than in specified amounts. Fourth, the use of budget authority provided in the CR has been prohibited for new activities not funded in the previous fiscal year. Fifth, the duration and amount of funds in the CR, and purposes for which they may be used for specified activities, may be adjusted through anomalies. Sixth, legislative provisions—which create, amend, or extend other laws—have been included in some instances.
Congress has enacted one or more CRs in all but three of the 49 fiscal years since the start of the fiscal year was changed to October 1 beginning in FY1977. FY1997 was the last fiscal year for which no CRs were enacted. Sixteen times between FY1998 and FY2025, the initial CR (and for some years, subsequent CRs as well) provided continuing appropriations for all of the regular appropriations acts. During that same period, funding for one or more regular appropriations acts was provided in CRs for an average of 118 days before the appropriations process was completed for that year.
For some fiscal years, a CR has provided continuing appropriations through the end of that year (often referred to as a full-year CR). Some of the full-year CRs enacted in the 1980s included the full text of certain regular appropriations acts (thus having a form more akin to an omnibus appropriations act rather than a typical CR). More recently, full-year CRs were enacted covering most or all of the regular appropriations acts for FY2007, FY2011, FY2013, and FY2025.
As expressed in Article I, Section 9 of the U. S. Constitution, "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law" so that the power of the purse must be exercised through the lawmaking process. This allows Congress to craft the terms of appropriations or deny appropriations outright by funding programs and activities of most federal agencies on an annual basis through the enactment of 12 regular appropriations acts.1 When those annual appropriations acts are not enacted by the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1), one or more continuing appropriations acts may be enacted to provide temporary funding to continue certain programs and activities until action on regular appropriations acts is completed. Such funding is provided for a specified period of time, which may be extended through the enactment of subsequent continuing appropriations.
A continuing appropriations act is commonly referred to as a continuing resolution or CR because it has typically been in the form of a joint resolution rather than a bill. But there is no procedural requirement as to its form. Continuing appropriations are also occasionally provided through a bill.
If appropriations are not enacted for a fiscal year through a regular appropriations act or a CR, a "funding gap" occurs until such appropriations are provided. When a funding gap occurs, federal agencies may be directed to begin a "shutdown" of the affected programs and activities.2 Agencies are generally prohibited from obligating or expending federal funds in the absence of appropriations.3
Congress has enacted one or more CRs in all but three fiscal years since FY1977.4 In total, 207 CRs were enacted into law during the period FY1977-FY2025, ranging from zero to 21 in any single fiscal year. Continuing appropriations acts provided funding for one or more regular appropriations acts for an average of 118 days before the appropriations process was completed for that year.
There are six main features of CRs. First, CRs provide funding for certain activities (coverage), which are typically specified with reference to the prior or current fiscal year's appropriations acts. Second, CRs provide budget authority for a specified duration of time. This duration may be as short as a single day or as long as the remainder of the fiscal year. Third, in recent practice, CRs have typically provided funds based on an overall funding rate rather than in specified amounts. Fourth, the use of budget authority provided in the CR is typically prohibited for new activities not funded in the previous fiscal year. Fifth, the duration and amount of funds in the CR, and purposes for which they may be used for specified activities, may be adjusted through anomalies. Sixth, legislative provisions—which create, amend, or extend other laws—have been included in some instances.
Although this section discusses the above components as they have been enacted in CRs under recent practice, it does not discuss their potential effects on budget execution or agency operations. For analysis of these issues, see CRS Report RL34700, Interim Continuing Resolutions (CRs): Potential Impacts on Agency Operations, by Clinton T. Brass, and GAO-17-807T, Budget Uncertainty and Disruptions Affect Timing of Agency Spending.
A CR provides funds for certain activities, which are typically specified with reference to other pieces of appropriations legislation or the appropriations acts for a previous fiscal year. Most often, the coverage of a CR is defined with reference to the activities funded in prior fiscal years' appropriations acts for which the current fiscal year's regular appropriations have yet to be enacted. For example, in Section 101 of P.L. 111-68 (the first CR for FY2010), the coverage included activities funded in selected regular and supplemental appropriations acts for FY2008 and FY2009:
Sec. 101. Such amounts as may be necessary … under the authority and conditions provided in such Acts, for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that were conducted in fiscal year 2009, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in the following appropriations Acts:
(1) Chapter 2 of title IX of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-252).
(2) Section 155 of division A of the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 110-329), except that subsections (c), (d), and (e) of such section shall not apply to funds made available under this joint resolution.
(3) Divisions C through E of the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 110-329).
(4) Divisions A through I of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-8), as amended by section 2 of P.L. 111-46.
(5) Titles III and VI (under the heading `Coast Guard') of the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009 (P.L. 111-32). [emphasis added]
Less frequently, CRs specify coverage with reference to regular appropriations bills for the current fiscal year that have yet to be enacted.5 In these instances, it is possible that an activity covered in the corresponding previous fiscal year's appropriations bill might not be covered in the CR. Alternatively, a CR might stipulate that activities funded in the previous fiscal year are covered only if they are included in a regular appropriations bill for the current fiscal year. For example, Section 101 of P.L. 105-240, the first CR for FY1999, provided that funding would continue only under such circumstances.
SEC. 101. (a) Such amounts as may be necessary under the authority and conditions provided in the applicable appropriations Act for the fiscal year 1998 for continuing projects or activities including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees (not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution) which were conducted in the fiscal year 1998 and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority would be available in the following appropriations Acts:
(1) the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999….
(8) the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, the House and Senate reported versions of which shall be deemed to have passed the House and Senate respectively as of October 1, 1998, for the purposes of this joint resolution, unless a reported version is passed as of October 1, 1998, in which case the passed version shall be used in place of the reported version for purposes of this joint resolution;
(9) the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1999…. [emphasis added]
CRs may be enacted as standalone legislative vehicles or as provisions attached to other legislation, such as a regular appropriations bill or an omnibus bill.6 In instances in which one or more regular appropriations bills are near completion, Congress may find it expeditious to include a CR in that same legislative vehicle to cover activities in the remaining regular bills that are not yet enacted. In such instances, some activities may be covered by reference, while funding for others is provided through the text of the measure. For example, Division C of P.L. 115-245—the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019—provided continuing appropriations through December 7, 2018, by referencing the FY2018 regular appropriations acts, while the other divisions of P.L. 115-245 provided full-year regular appropriations for the FY2019 Defense and Labor-HHS-ED bills.
The duration of a CR refers to the period for which budget authority is provided for covered activities. The period ends either upon the enactment of the applicable regular appropriations act or on an expiration date specified in the CR, whichever occurs first. When a CR expires prior to the completion of all regular appropriations bills for a fiscal year, one or more additional CRs may be enacted to prevent funding gaps and secure additional increments of time to complete the remaining regular appropriations bills. The duration of any further CRs may be brief, sometimes a single day, to encourage the process to conclude swiftly, or it may be for weeks or months to accommodate further negotiations or congressional recesses. In some cases, CRs have carried over into the next session of Congress.
In most of the fiscal years in which CRs have been used, a series of two or more have been enacted into law. Such CRs may be designated by their order (e.g., "first" CR, "second" CR) or, after the initial CR has been enacted, designated as a "further" CR. When action on the regular appropriations bills is not complete by the time when the first CR expires, subsequent CRs will often simply replace the expiration date in the preceding CR with a new expiration date. For example, Section 1 of the third CR for FY2016, P.L. 114-100, stated that "Public Law 114-53 is amended by striking the date specified in Section 106(3) and inserting 'December 22, 2015.'" This action extended the duration of the preceding CR by six days.
Funds provided by a CR will not necessarily be used by all covered activities through the date the CR expires. In practice, the budget authority provided by a CR may be superseded by the enactment of subsequent appropriations measures or the occurrence of other specified conditions. In an instance in which a regular appropriations bill was enacted prior to the expiration of a CR, the budget authority provided by the regular bill for covered activities would replace the funding provided by the CR. All other activities in the CR, however, would continue to be funded by the CR unless they were likewise superseded or the CR expired. The duration of funds for certain activities could also be shortened if other conditions that are specified in the CR occur. For example, Section 106 of P.L. 117-80, the first CR for FY2023, provided funds for 77 days or fewer:
Sec. 106. Unless otherwise provided for in this Act or in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2023, appropriations and funds made available and authority granted pursuant to this Act shall be available until whichever of the following first occurs: (1) The enactment into law of an appropriation for any project or activity provided for in this Act. (2) The enactment into law of the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2023 without any provision for such project or activity. (3) December 16, 2022. [emphasis added]
In this instance, funding for all other activities to which these conditions didn't apply would continue under the CR until it expired or was otherwise superseded. While recent practice has been to resolve all outstanding appropriations issues simultaneously, historically, one or more regular appropriations acts would be enacted while a CR was in effect. As a consequence, not only was the duration of the CR was shortened for those projects and activities, but the coverage of the CR was reduced as well. For example, P.L. 107-240, the fourth CR for FY2003, was enacted on October 18, 2002. It had an expiration of November 22, 2002, and included funding for projects and activities covered by the Department of Defense Appropriations Act. However, P.L. 107-248, the regular Department of Defense Appropriations Act of for FY2003, was enacted on October 23, 2002, superseding the funding provided under the CR and reducing its coverage.
A CR may also be attached to a regular appropriations bill. In such a case, the activities covered by the regular appropriations act are funded through the remainder of the fiscal year, whereas the activities covered by the CR are funded through a specified date. One example of this is P.L. 114-223, the first CR for FY2017. Division C of the measure was a continuing resolution with an expiration date of December 9, 2016. Division A, however, was the regular appropriations act for Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and provided funding for those accounts for the entire fiscal year. Congress may also single out specific activities in a CR to receive funding for a specified duration that differs from the majority of other accounts and activities.
Congress has occasionally enacted a CR to provide funds for the activities covered in such bills through the remainder of the fiscal year as an alternative to separately enacting one or more of the regular appropriations bills. This type of CR is referred to as a full-year CR. Full-year CRs may provide funding for all bills that have yet to be enacted or include the full text of one or more regular appropriations bills. For example, Division A of P.L. 112-10 contained the text of the FY2011 Defense Appropriations Act, whereas the programs and activities covered by the 11 remaining regular appropriations bills were funded by the full-year CR in Division B.
CRs often fund activities under a formula-type approach that provides budget authority at a restricted level but not a specified amount. This method of providing budget authority is commonly referred to as the "funding rate." Under a funding rate, the amount of budget authority for an account7 is calculated as the total amount of budget authority annually available based on a reference level (usually a dollar amount or calculation) multiplied by the fraction of the fiscal year for which the funds are made available in the CR.8 This is in contrast to regular and supplemental appropriations acts, which generally provide specific amounts for each account.
In previous years, some CRs have provided funding across accounts by reference to the amount of budget authority available in specified appropriations acts from the previous fiscal year. For example, Section 101 of P.L. 110-329, the first CR for FY2010, provided the following funding rate:
Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the applicable appropriations Acts for fiscal year 2008 and under the authority and conditions provided in such Acts, for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this joint resolution, that were conducted in fiscal year 2008, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in the following appropriations Acts: divisions A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, and K of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (P.L. 110-161). [emphasis added]
Other CRs have provided funding by reference to the levels available in the previous fiscal year, with either an increase or decrease from the previous fiscal year's level. For example, Section 101(a) and (b) of P.L. 112-33, the first CR for FY2012, provided the following funding rate:
(a) Such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the applicable appropriations Acts for fiscal year 2011 and under the authority and conditions provided in such Acts, for continuing projects or activities (including the costs of direct loans and loan guarantees) that are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Act, that were conducted in fiscal year 2011, and for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were made available in the following appropriations Acts….
(b) The rate for operations provided by subsection (a) is hereby reduced by 1.503 percent. [emphasis added]
Although these examples illustrate the most typical types of funding rates, other types of funding rates have sometimes been used when providing continuing appropriations. For example, P.L. 105-240, the first CR for FY1999, provided a funding rate for covered activities based on three possible reference amounts: the House- and Senate-passed FY1999 regular appropriations bills, the amount of the President's budget request, or "current operations" (the total amount of budget authority available for obligation for an activity during the previous fiscal year), whichever was the lowest. In instances where no funding was provided under the House- and Senate-passed FY1999 appropriations bills, the funding rate would be based on the lower of the President's budget request or current operations. Similar formulations were regularly used for CRs in the 1980s. In addition, while the first CR for a fiscal year may provide a certain funding rate, subsequent CRs sometimes may provide a different rate.
CRs have also sometimes provided budget authority for some or all covered activities by incorporating the actual text of one or more regular appropriations bills for that fiscal year rather than providing funding according to the rate formula.9 For example, P.L. 112-10 provided funding for the Department of Defense through the incorporation of a regular appropriations bill in Division A, whereas Division B provided formulaic funding for all other activities for the remainder of the fiscal year. In this type of instance, the formula in the CR applies only to activities not covered in the text of the incorporated regular appropriations bill or bills.
Congress has often limited the funding provided by CRs so that agencies are not able to use those funds to initiate new programs or activities or to avoid limitations imposed on previously appropriated funds. CRs that provide a funding rate for activities often stipulate that funds may be used for the same purposes and in the manner provided in specified appropriations acts for the previous fiscal year. In practice, this is often characterized as a prohibition on "new starts." CRs also typically include language that would prohibit agencies from making final determinations about new grants and other payments prior to the enactment of legislation that would provide the total amount available for the fiscal year (either in the form of a regular appropriations act or a full-year CR). In addition, conditions and limitations on program activity from the previous year's appropriations acts may be retained by language contained within the resolution's text. Examples of such language, from P.L. 112-33, are below:
Sec. 103. Appropriations made by section 101 shall be available to the extent and in the manner that would be provided by the pertinent appropriations Act. [emphasis added]
Sec. 104. Except as otherwise provided in section 102, no appropriation or funds made available or authority granted pursuant to section 101 shall be used to initiate or resume any project or activity for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were not available during fiscal year 2011. [emphasis added]
Sec. 109. … no grants shall be awarded for such programs funded by this Act that would impinge on final funding prerogatives.
This language prevents the initiation of new activities with the funds provided in the CR. Agencies may use appropriated funds from prior fiscal years that remain available, however, to initiate new activities in some circumstances.10
Even though CRs typically provide funds at a rate, they may also include provisions that enumerate exceptions to the duration, amount, or purposes for which those funds may be used for certain appropriations accounts or activities. Such provisions are commonly referred to as "anomalies." The purpose of anomalies is to preserve Congress's constitutional prerogative to provide appropriations in the manner it sees fit, even in instances when only short-term funding is provided.11
A CR may contain anomalies that designate a duration of funding for certain activities that is different from the overall duration provided. For example, Section 112 of P.L. 108-84 provided an exception to the expiration date of October 31, 2003, specified in Section 107(c) of the CR:
For entitlements and other mandatory payments whose budget authority was provided in appropriations Acts for fiscal year 2003, and for activities under the Food Stamp Act of 1977, activities shall be continued at the rate to maintain program levels under current law, under the authority and conditions provided in the applicable appropriations Act for fiscal year 2003, to be continued through the date specified in section 107(c): Provided, That notwithstanding section 107, funds shall be available and obligations for mandatory payments due on or about November 1 and December 1, 2003, may continue to be made. [emphasis added]
Anomalies may also designate a different specific amount or rate of budget authority for certain accounts or activities than the funding rate provided for the remainder of activities in the CR. Typically, such funding is specified as an annualized rate based upon a lump sum. For example, Section 120 of P.L. 112-33 provided the following lump-sum anomaly for a specific account, which was an exception to the generally applicable funding rate in Section 101:
Notwithstanding section 101, amounts are provided for "Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board—Salaries and Expenses" at a rate for operations of $29,130,000. [emphasis added]
Funding adjustments can also be provided in anomalies for groups of accounts in the bill. For example, Section 121 of P.L. 112-33 provided a different rate for certain funds in a group of accounts:
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, except section 106, the District of Columbia may expend local funds under the heading "District of Columbia Funds" for such programs and activities under title IV of H.R. 2434 (112th Congress), as reported by the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, at the rate set forth under ''District of Columbia Funds—Summary of Expenses'' as included in the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request Act of 2011 (D.C. Act 19–92), as modified as of the date of the enactment of this Act. [emphasis added]
Further, anomalies may provide exceptions to amounts specified in other laws. For example, Section 121 of P.L. 110-329 provided that funds may be expended in excess of statutory limits up to an alternative rate:
Notwithstanding the limitations on administrative expenses in subsections (c)(2) and (c)(3)(A) of section 3005 of the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171; 120 Stat. 21), the Assistant Secretary (as such term is defined in section 3001(b) of such Act) may expend funds made available under sections 3006, 3008, and 3009 of such Act for additional administrative expenses of the digital-to-analog converter box program established by such section 3005 at a rate not to exceed $180,000,000 through the date specified in section 106(3) of this joint resolution. [emphasis added]
CRs may also use anomalies to alter the purposes for which the funds may be expended. Such anomalies may allow funds to be spent for activities that would otherwise be prohibited or prohibit funds for activities that might otherwise be allowed. For example, Section 114 of P.L. 108-309, the first CR for FY2005, prohibited funds from being available to a particular department for a certain activity:
Notwithstanding any other provision of this joint resolution, except sections 107 and 108, amounts are made available for the Strategic National Stockpile ("SNS") at a rate for operations not exceeding the lower of the amount which would be made available under H.R. 5006, as passed by the House of Representatives on September 9, 2004, or S. 2810, as reported by the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate on September 15, 2004: Provided, That no funds shall be made available for the SNS to the Department of Homeland Security under this joint resolution. [emphasis added]
Substantive legislative provisions, which have the effect of creating new law or changing existing law, have also been included in some CRs. One reason why CRs have been attractive vehicles for such provisions is that they are often widely considered to be must-pass measures to prevent funding gaps. Legislative provisions previously included in CRs have varied considerably in length, from a short paragraph to more than 200 pages.
House and Senate rules restrict the inclusion of legislative provisions in appropriations bills, but such restrictions are applicable in different contexts. Although House rules prohibit legislative provisions from being included in general appropriations measures (including amendments or any conference report to such measures), these restrictions do not apply to CRs.12 Senate rules prohibit non-germane amendments that include legislative provisions either on the Senate floor or as an amendment between the houses.13 While these Senate restrictions do apply in the case of CRs, there is considerable leeway on when such provisions may be included, such as when the Senate amends a legislative provision included by the House.14 The rules of the House and Senate are not self-enforcing, however. A point of order must be raised and sustained during floor consideration to enforce the prohibition.15
Substantive provisions in CRs have included language that established major new policies, such as an FY1985 CR, which contained the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984.16
More frequently, CRs have been used to amend or renew provisions of law. For example, Section 140 of P.L. 112-33 retroactively renewed import restrictions under the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-61):
(a) Renewal of Import Restrictions Under Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.—
(1) In general.—Congress approves the renewal of the import restrictions contained in section 3(a)(1) and section 3A (b)(1) and (c)(1) of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.
(2) Rule of construction.—This section shall be deemed to be a "renewal resolution" for purposes of section 9 of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.
(b) Effective Date.—This section shall take effect on July 26, 2011.
CRs have also contained legislative provisions that temporarily extended expiring laws. For example, Section 146 of P.L. 116-159 extended the National Flood Insurance Program:
(a) Section 1309(a) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4016(a)) is amended by striking "September 30, 2019" and inserting "September 30, 2021".
(b) Section 1319 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4026) is amended by striking "September 30, 2019" and inserting "September 30, 2021".
(c) (1) This section shall become effective immediately upon enactment of this Act.
(2) If this Act is enacted after September 30, 2020, this section shall be applied as if it were in effect on September 30, 2020.
Legislative provisions that temporarily extend expiring laws are effective through the date the CR expires, unless otherwise specified.
As mentioned previously, regular appropriations were enacted after October 1 in all but four fiscal years between FY1977 and FY2025.17 Consequently, CRs have been needed in almost all of these years to prevent one or more funding gaps from occurring.
Table 1 provides an overview of the enactment of regular appropriations bills and the use of CRs between FY1977 and FY2025. All appropriations were enacted on or before the start of the new fiscal year four times during this period: FY1977, FY1989, FY1995, and FY1997. Over half of the regular appropriations bills for a fiscal year were enacted before the start of the new fiscal year in one other instance (FY1978). In all other fiscal years, fewer than six regular appropriations acts were enacted on or before October 1. In addition, no regular appropriations bills were enacted prior to the start of the fiscal year in 21 of the 49 fiscal years since FY1977, 16 of these since FY1997, the last fiscal year in which no CRs were enacted.
Table 1. Timing of Enactment of Regular Appropriations Bills and
Use of Continuing Resolutions (CRs): FY1977-FY2025
|
Fiscal Year |
Number of Regular Appropriations Billsa |
Regular Appropriations Bills Enacted on or Before October 1 |
CRs Enacted |
|
1977 |
13 |
13 |
2b |
|
1978 |
13 |
9 |
3 |
|
1979 |
13 |
5 |
1 |
|
1980 |
13 |
3 |
2 |
|
1981 |
13 |
1 |
3 |
|
1982 |
13 |
1 |
4 |
|
1983 |
13 |
1 |
2 |
|
1984 |
13 |
4 |
2 |
|
1985 |
13 |
4 |
5 |
|
1986 |
13 |
0 |
5 |
|
1987 |
13 |
0 |
6 |
|
1988 |
13 |
0 |
5 |
|
1989 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
|
1990 |
13 |
1 |
3 |
|
1991 |
13 |
0 |
5 |
|
1992 |
13 |
3 |
4 |
|
1993 |
13 |
1 |
1 |
|
1994 |
13 |
2 |
3 |
|
1995 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
|
1996 |
13 |
0 |
13 |
|
1997 |
13 |
13 |
0 |
|
1998 |
13 |
1 |
6 |
|
1999 |
13 |
1 |
6 |
|
2000 |
13 |
4 |
7 |
|
2001 |
13 |
2 |
21 |
|
2002 |
13 |
0 |
8 |
|
2003 |
13 |
0 |
8 |
|
2004 |
13 |
3 |
5 |
|
2005 |
13 |
1 |
3 |
|
2006 |
11 |
2 |
3 |
|
2007 |
11 |
1 |
4 |
|
2008 |
12 |
0 |
4 |
|
2009 |
12 |
3 |
2 |
|
2010 |
12 |
1 |
2 |
|
2011 |
12 |
0 |
8 |
|
2012 |
12 |
0 |
5 |
|
2013 |
12 |
0 |
2 |
|
2014 |
12 |
0 |
4 |
|
2015 |
12 |
0 |
5 |
|
2016 |
12 |
0 |
3 |
|
2017 |
12 |
1 |
3 |
|
2018 |
12 |
0 |
5 |
|
2019 |
12 |
5 |
3 |
|
2020 |
12 |
0 |
2 |
|
2021 |
12 |
0 |
5 |
|
2022 |
12 |
0 |
4 |
|
2023 |
12 |
0 |
3 |
|
2024 |
12 |
0 |
4 |
|
2025 |
12 |
0 |
3 |
Source: U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Appropriations, Budget Estimates, Etc., 94th Cong., 2nd sess.-104th Cong., 1st sess. (Washington: GPO, 1976-1995). U.S. Congress, House of Representatives, Calendars of the U.S. House of Representatives and History of Legislation, 104th Cong., 1st sess.-113th Cong., 1st sess. (Washington: GPO, 1995-2012). CRS appropriations status tables (FY1999-FY2023), http://www.crs.gov/pages/AppropriationsStatusTable.aspx.
a. Between the 95th and 108th Congresses, there were 13 House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees each responsible for one regular appropriations bill. During the 109th Congress, due to subcommittee realignment, the total number of regular appropriations bills was effectively reduced to 11 during each year of the Congress. Beginning in the 110th Congress, subcommittee jurisdictions were again realigned for a total of 12 subcommittees, each of which is currently responsible for a single regular appropriations bill. For further information on subcommittee realignment during this period, see CRS Report RL31572, Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920 to 2025, by James V. Saturno.
b. Although all 13 FY1977 regular appropriations bills became law on or before the start of the fiscal year, two CRs were enacted to provide funding for certain activities that had not been included in the regular appropriations acts.
CRs were enacted in all but three of these fiscal years (FY1989, FY1995, and FY1997). In FY1977, although all 13 regular appropriations bills became law on or before the start of the fiscal year, two CRs were enacted to provide funding for certain activities that had not been included in the regular appropriations acts.
CRs have been a significant element of the recent annual appropriations process.18 As shown in Table 2, a total of 134 interim CRs (and four full-year CRs) were enacted into law from FY1998 to FY2025. While the average number of interim CRs enacted per year was just under five, the number enacted ranged from one measure (for FY2013) to 21 (for FY2001).
During the past 28 fiscal years, Congress used an interim CR to provide funding for an average of almost four months (118 days) before final appropriations action was taken for the fiscal year (regardless of whether final action was enactment of all regular appropriations acts or a full-year CR). Taking into account the total duration of all interim CRs for each fiscal year, the period for which continuing appropriations were provided ranged from 21 days to 216 days. (Full-year CRs used during this period—FY2007, FY2011, FY2013, and FY2025—extend the duration to 365 days during those years.) For the other 24 fiscal years, the expiration date of the final CR has varied substantially. For 15 fiscal years since FY1997, one or more CRs were enacted to cover a period that extended into the following session. In the remaining 13 fiscal years of this period, the expiration date of the final CR was set in the first quarter of the fiscal year on a date occurring between October 21 and December 31.
|
Number of |
Total |
Final |
|
|
1998 |
6 |
57 |
11-26-1997 |
|
1999 |
6 |
21 |
10-21-1998 |
|
2000 |
7 |
63 |
12-02-1999 |
|
2001 |
21 |
82 |
12-21-2000 |
|
2002 |
8 |
102 |
01-10-2002 |
|
2003 |
8 |
143 |
02-20-2003 |
|
2004 |
5c |
123 |
01-31-2004 |
|
2005 |
3 |
69 |
12-08-2004 |
|
2006 |
3 |
92 |
12-31-2005 |
|
2007 |
3 |
138 |
02-15-2007 |
|
2008 |
4 |
92 |
12-31-2007 |
|
2009 |
2 |
162 |
03-11-2009 |
|
2010 |
2 |
79 |
12-18-2009 |
|
2011 |
7 |
197 |
04-15-2011 |
|
2012 |
5 |
84 |
12-23-2011 |
|
2013 |
1 |
178 |
03-26-2013 |
|
2014 |
4d |
110d |
01-18-2014 |
|
2015 |
5 |
156 |
03-06-2015 |
|
2016 |
3 |
83 |
12-22-2015 |
|
2017 |
3 |
216 |
05-05-2017 |
|
2018 |
5 |
173 |
03-23-2018 |
|
2019 |
3 |
138 |
02-15-2019 |
|
2020 |
2 |
81 |
12-20-2019 |
|
2021 |
5 |
88 |
12-28-2020 |
|
2022 |
4 |
166 |
03-15-2022 |
|
2023 |
3 |
91 |
12-30-2022 |
|
2024 |
4 |
160 |
03-08-2024 |
|
2025 |
2 |
165 |
03-14-2025 |
|
Annual Average |
4.79 |
118.18 |
— |
Source: Prepared by CRS using data from the Legislative Information System (LIS)/Congres.gov; CRS, appropriations status tables (various fiscal years), available at http://crs.gov/Pages/appover.aspx.
a. Duration in days is measured, in the case of the first CR for a fiscal year, from the first day of the year (October 1). For example, a CR enacted on September 30 that provided funding through October 12 would be measured as having a12-day duration. For subsequent CRs for a fiscal year, duration in days is measured from the day after the expiration of the preceding CR. The duration of CRs that ended a lapse in appropriations includes the period of that funding gap and is calculated from the first full day after the final day that budget authority was provided (by the preceding CR) through the expiration date. For years in which appropriations action was completed by enactment of a full-year CR (FY2007, FY2011, FY2013, and FY2025), the number of days is equal to the number of days covered by interim CRs.
b. The final expiration date is the date the last interim CR expired. In some of these instances, the CR had previously been superseded by the enactment of the remaining regular appropriations acts for that fiscal year. For example, in FY2014, the expiration date of P.L. 113-73, the fourth CR for FY2014, was January 18, 2014. However, final regular appropriations were enacted the previous day in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (P.L. 113-76). For years in which appropriations action was completed by enactment of a full-year CR (FY2007, FY2011, FY2013, and FY2025), the final expiration date is the last date funded by an interim CR.
c. The fifth CR for FY2004 did not change the expiration date of January 31, 2004, established in the preceding CR.
d. A total of four CRs were enacted for FY2014. This count includes two CRs that provided funding for only specific programs and activities during the FY2014 funding gap. The Pay Our Military Act (P.L. 113-39) was enacted on September 30, 2013. The Department of Defense Survivor Benefits Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (P.L. 113-44), was enacted on October 10, 2013. The funding provided by both of these CRs was terminated on October 17, 2013, through the enactment of a third CR, P.L. 113-46, which broadly funded the previous fiscal year's activities through January 15, 2014. The funding provided by this third CR was extended through January 18 through the enactment of a fourth CR (P.L. 113-73). Section 118 of P.L. 113-46 provided that the time covered by that act was to have begun on October 1, 2013. To preserve counting consistency, the FY2014 duration of days for the purposes of this table begins on October 1 and ends on January 18, 2014. For further information on the FY2014 funding gap and congressional action on CRs, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno.
The Appendix to this report provides more detailed information on the number and duration of each CR enacted for FY1977-FY2025. As indicated previously, the duration of CRs for a fiscal year represents the period after the start of the federal fiscal year required to complete appropriations actions for that fiscal year. Although the recent practice has been to resolve all outstanding appropriations issues simultaneously, this has not always been the case. Historically, regular appropriations acts were routinely enacted prior to the expiration of a CR. As a consequence, the duration of a specific CR, should not be interpreted to mean that the funding for all programs and activities funded by the CR at the time of enactment were still funded by the CR at the time of its expiration.
The data show that there is no significant correlation between the number and duration of CRs or even with respect to the way shorter-term and longer-term CRs are used within a single fiscal year. For example, six CRs were enacted for both FY1998 and FY1999, but lasted for a period of 57 days for FY1998 and 21 days for FY1999. The largest number of CRs enacted for a single fiscal year was 21 for FY2001, covering a period lasting 82 days. The smallest number enacted was one for FY2013 covering 178 days.
Overall, 51 CRs were enacted to provide funds for periods or 30 days or longer, but less than the remainder of the fiscal year, 34 of these have been enacted since FY1997. In contrast, 84 CRs were enacted to cover periods of seven days or fewer.
Recent practice (since FY2015) has been for the first CR for a fiscal year to be enacted by October 1 to cover an average of just over 68 days, with a range of between 52 and 77 days. The data show, however, that after that initial CR, the pattern of usage is less clear. During that same period, between one and four additional CRs have been enacted each year, covering between 11 and 146 additional days before the completion of appropriations actions for that fiscal year.19
Full-year CRs have been used to provide annual discretionary spending on a number of occasions. Prior to the full implementation of the Congressional Budget Act in FY1977, full-year CRs were used occasionally, particularly in the 1970s. Full-year CRs were enacted into law for four of the six preceding fiscal years (FY1971, FY1973, FY1975, and FY1976).20 Following the successful completion of all 13 regular appropriations acts prior to the start of FY1977, full-year CRs were used in each of the 11 succeeding fiscal years (FY1978-FY1988) to cover at least one regular appropriations act. Three years later, another full-year CR was enacted for FY1992. Most recently, full-year CRs were enacted for FY2007, FY2011, FY2013 and FY2025.
Table 3 identifies the 15 full-year CRs enacted for the period since FY1977. Nine of the 15 full-year CRs during this period were enacted in the first quarter of the fiscal year—three in October, two in November, and four in December. The six remaining measures were enacted during the following session of Congress between February 15 and June 5.
The full-year CRs enacted during this period also varied in terms of length and the form of funding provided. Prior to FY1983, full-year CRs were relatively short measures. Full-year CRs for FY1983 through FY1988, were much lengthier, as Congress incorporated the full text of some or all of the covered regular appropriations acts rather than using formulaic references for the funding level. None of the full-year CRs enacted between 1985 and 1988 used formulaic funding provisions. Secondly, the number of regular appropriations acts covered by full-year CRs increased significantly during the FY1983-FY1988 period. For the period covering FY1978-FY1982, the number of regular appropriations acts covered by CRs for the full fiscal year ranged from one to six (averaging about three). Beginning with FY1983 and extending through FY1988, the number of covered acts ranged from five to 13, averaging about 10.
The next two full-year CRs, for FY1992 and FY2007, returned to the earlier practice of using formulaic references and anomalies to establish funding levels. Both CRs provided funding only through this means. As a consequence, the length of these measures was considerably shorter than the FY1983-FY1988 full-year CRs.
The measures providing full-year CRs for FY2011 and FY2013 were, in some respects, a hybrid of the earlier and later approaches. The FY2011 full-year CR provided funding for 11 bills through formulaic provisions and anomalies, and it also carried the full text of one regular appropriations bill in a separate division of the act (the FY2011 Department of Defense Appropriations Act). Similarly, the FY2013 CR contained the texts of five regular appropriations bills in Divisions A-E of the act—the FY2013 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; the Department of Defense Appropriations Act; the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act; and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. In addition, Division F provided continuing appropriations for the remaining seven regular appropriations bills through formulaic provisions and anomalies. Unlike previous years, the formula for providing continuing appropriations was based on the amount provided in FY2012 rather than a rate.
The CR that completed action on FY2025 appropriations provided funding for each of the 12 regular appropriations acts generally based on continuing the funding level in FY2024 appropriations acts supplemented by a title for each regular act that included anomalies providing exceptions.
|
Fiscal |
Public Law |
Enactment |
Included |
Number of Appropriations Acts Covered or Contained in the Acta |
|
1978 |
12-09-1977 |
No |
2/13b |
|
|
1979 |
10-18-1978 |
No |
1/13 |
|
|
1980 |
11-20-1979 |
Yes |
6/13c |
|
|
1981 |
06-05-1981 |
Yes |
||
|
1982 |
03-31-1982 |
Yes |
||
|
1983 |
12-21-1982 |
Yes |
7/13 |
|
|
1984 |
11-14-1983 |
Yes |
5/13f |
|
|
1985 |
10-12-1984 |
No |
9/13g |
|
|
1986 |
12-19-1985 |
No |
8/13h |
|
|
1987 |
10-30-1986 |
No |
13/13 |
|
|
1988 |
12-22-1987 |
No |
13/13 |
|
|
1992 |
04-01-1992 |
Yes |
||
|
2007 |
02-15-2007 |
Yes |
9/11j |
|
|
2011 |
04-15-2011 |
Yes |
12/12k |
|
|
2013 |
03-26-2013 |
Yes |
12/12l |
|
|
2025 |
03-15-2025 |
Yes |
12/12 |
Source: Prepared by CRS using data from the Legislative Information System/Congress.gov; CRS, appropriations status tables (various fiscal years), available at http://crs.gov/Pages/appover.aspx.
a. Between the 95th and 108th Congresses, there were 13 House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees each responsible for one regular appropriations bill. During the 109th Congress, due to subcommittee realignment, the total number of regular appropriations bills was effectively reduced to 11 during each year of the Congress. Beginning in the 110th Congress, subcommittee jurisdictions were again realigned for a total of 12 subcommittees, each of which is currently responsible for a single regular appropriations bill. For further information on subcommittee realignment during this period, see CRS Report RL31572, Appropriations Subcommittee Structure: History of Changes from 1920 to 2025, by James V. Saturno.
b. The full-year continuing appropriations for the District of Columbia provided by this act were later superseded by a standalone regular appropriations act (P.L. 95-288).
c. Some of the appropriations acts covered by this full-year CR were later superseded by standalone regular appropriations acts for Interior and Related Agencies (P.L. 96-126); Military Construction (96-130); Department of Defense (P.L. 96-154); and Transportation (P.L. 96-131).
d. This full-year CR was contained within the FY1981 Supplemental Appropriations and Rescissions Act 1981 (P.L. 97-12, see Title IV, "Further Continuing Appropriations"). Title IV extended through the end of the fiscal year the expiration of P.L. 96-536, which covered the appropriations acts that had not yet been enacted for Foreign Assistance; the Legislative Branch; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies; and the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government.
e. This full-year CR extended through the end of the fiscal year the expiration date of P.L. 97-92, which covered the appropriations acts that had not yet been enacted for the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government; Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary; and Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
f. Some of the appropriations acts covered by this full-year CR were later superseded by standalone regular appropriations acts for the Department of Defense (P.L. 98-121); Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies (P.L. 98-166); and the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government (P.L. 98-151).
g. The full-year continuing appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies that were provided by this act were later superseded by a standalone regular appropriations act (P.L. 98-619).
h. The full-year continuing appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies that were provided by this CR were superseded by the enactment of P.L. 99-178.
i. This full-year CR extended through the end of FY1992 the expiration date of P.L. 102-163, which covered appropriations that had not yet been enacted for Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs.
j. Despite the reorganization of the House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees at the beginning of the 110th Congress, the FY2007 CR (P.L. 110-5), which was enacted on February 15, 2007, reflected the subcommittee jurisdictions in the 109th Congress.
k. P.L. 112-10, Division B, provided continuing appropriations through the end of the fiscal year for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government; Department of Homeland Security; Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies; Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. Division A contained the text of the FY2011 Department of Defense Appropriations Act.
l. P.L. 113-6, Division F, provided continuing appropriations for FY2013 for Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government; Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Legislative Branch; Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. Divisions A-E contained the texts of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act; the Department of Defense Appropriations Act; Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act; and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.
|
Fiscal |
Number of Acts by Fiscal Year |
Number |
Public Law Number |
Statutes-at-Large |
Enactment Date |
Expiration Date |
Duration |
|
1977 |
1 |
1 |
90 Stat. 2065 |
10-11-1976 |
03-31-1977 |
182 |
|
|
2 |
2 |
91 Stat. 28 |
04-01-1977 |
04-30-1977 |
30 |
||
|
1978 |
1 |
3 |
91 Stat. 1153 |
10-13-1977 |
10-31-1977 |
31 |
|
|
2 |
4 |
91 Stat. 1323 |
11-09-1977 |
11-30-1977 |
30 |
||
|
3 |
5 |
91 Stat. 1460 |
12-09-1977 |
09-30-1978 |
304 |
||
|
1979 |
1 |
6 |
92 Stat. 1603 |
10-18-1978 |
09-30-1979 |
365 |
|
|
1980 |
1 |
7 |
93 Stat. 656 |
10-12-1979 |
11-20-1979 |
51 |
|
|
2 |
8 |
93 Stat. 923 |
11-20-1979 |
09-30-1980 |
315 |
||
|
1981 |
1 |
9 |
94 Stat. 1351 |
10-01-1980 |
12-15-1980 |
76 |
|
|
2 |
10 |
94 Stat. 3166 |
12-16-1980 |
06-05-1981 |
172 |
||
|
3 |
11 |
95 Stat. 95 |
06-05-1981 |
09-30-1981 |
117 |
||
|
1982 |
1 |
12 |
95 Stat. 958 |
10-01-1981 |
11-20-1981 |
51 |
|
|
2 |
13 |
95 Stat. 1098 |
11-23-1981 |
12-15-1981 |
22 |
||
|
3 |
14 |
95 Stat. 1183 |
12-15-1981 |
03-31-1982 |
106 |
||
|
4 |
15 |
96 Stat. 22 |
03-31-1982 |
09-30-1982 |
183 |
||
|
1983 |
1 |
16 |
96 Stat. 1186 |
10-02-1982 |
12-17-1982 |
78 |
|
|
2 |
17 |
96 Stat. 1830 |
12-17-1982 |
09-30-1983 |
287 |
||
|
1984 |
1 |
18 |
97 Stat. 733 |
10-01-1983 |
11-10-1983 |
41 |
|
|
2 |
19 |
97 Stat. 964 |
11-14-1983 |
09-30-1984 |
321 |
||
|
1985 |
1 |
20 |
98 Stat. 1699 |
10-03-1984 |
10-03-1984 |
3 |
|
|
2 |
21 |
98 Stat. 1731 |
10-05-1984 |
10-05-1984 |
2 |
||
|
3 |
22 |
98 Stat. 1747 |
10-06-1984 |
10-09-1984 |
4 |
||
|
4 |
23 |
98 Stat. 1814 |
10-10-1984 |
10-11-1984 |
2 |
||
|
5 |
24 |
98 Stat. 1837 |
10-12-1984 |
09-30-1985 |
354 |
||
|
1986 |
1 |
25 |
99 Stat. 471 |
09-30-1985 |
11-14-1985 |
45 |
|
|
2 |
26 |
99 Stat. 813 |
11-14-1985 |
12-12-1985 |
28 |
||
|
3 |
27 |
99 Stat. 1135 |
12-13-1985 |
12-16-1985 |
4 |
||
|
4 |
28 |
99 Stat. 1176 |
12-17-1985 |
12-19-1985 |
3 |
||
|
5 |
29 |
99 Stat. 1185 |
12-19-1985 |
09-30-1986 |
285 |
||
|
1987 |
1 |
30 |
100 Stat. 1076 |
10-01-1986 |
10-08-1986 |
8 |
|
|
2 |
31 |
100 Stat. 1185 |
10-09-1986 |
10-10-1986 |
2 |
||
|
3 |
32 |
100 Stat. 1189 |
10-11-1986 |
10-15-1986 |
5 |
||
|
4 |
33 |
100 Stat. 1239 |
10-16-1986 |
10-16-1986 |
1 |
||
|
5 |
34 |
100 Stat. 1783 |
10-18-1986 |
09-30-1987 |
349 |
||
|
6 |
35 |
100 Stat. 3341 |
10-30-1986 |
[n/a]f |
— |
||
|
1988 |
1 |
36 |
101 Stat. 789 |
09-30-1987 |
11-10-1987 |
41 |
|
|
2 |
37 |
101 Stat. 903 |
11-10-1987 |
12-16-1987 |
36 |
||
|
3 |
38 |
101 Stat. 1310 |
12-16-1987 |
12-18-1987 |
2 |
||
|
4 |
39 |
101 Stat. 1314 |
12-20-1987 |
12-21-1987 |
3 |
||
|
5 |
40 |
101 Stat. 1329 |
12-22-1987 |
09-30-1988 |
284 |
||
|
1989 |
[none] |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
1990 |
1 |
41 |
103 Stat. 638 |
09-29-1989 |
10-25-1989 |
25 |
|
|
2 |
42 |
103 Stat. 775 |
10-26-1989 |
11-15-1989 |
21 |
||
|
3 |
43 |
103 Stat. 934 |
11-15-1989 |
11-20-1989 |
5 |
||
|
1991 |
1 |
44 |
104 Stat. 867 |
10-01-1990 |
10-05-1990 |
5 |
|
|
2 |
45 |
104 Stat. 894 |
10-09-1990 |
10-19-1990 |
14 |
||
|
3 |
46 |
104 Stat. 1030 |
10-19-1990 |
10-24-1990 |
5 |
||
|
4 |
47 |
104 Stat. 1075 |
10-25-1990 |
10-27-1990 |
3 |
||
|
5 |
48 |
104 Stat. 1086 |
10-28-1990 |
11-05-1990 |
9 |
||
|
1992 |
1 |
49 |
105 Stat. 551 |
09-30-1991 |
10-29-1991 |
29 |
|
|
2 |
50 |
105 Stat. 968 |
10-28-1991 |
11-14-1991 |
16i |
||
|
3 |
51 |
105 Stat. 1048 |
11-15-1991 |
11-26-1991 |
12 |
||
|
4 |
52 |
106 Stat. 92 |
04-01-1992 |
09-30-1992 |
183 |
||
|
1993 |
1 |
53 |
106 Stat. 1311 |
10-01-1992 |
10-05-1992 |
5 |
|
|
1994 |
1 |
54 |
107 Stat. 977 |
09-30-1993 |
10-21-1993 |
21 |
|
|
2 |
55 |
107 Stat. 1114 |
10-21-1993 |
10-28-1993 |
7 |
||
|
3 |
56 |
107 Stat. 1355 |
10-29-1993 |
11-10-1993 |
13 |
||
|
1995 |
[none] |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
1996 |
1 |
57 |
109 Stat. 278 |
09-30-1995 |
11-13-1995 |
44 |
|
|
2 |
58 |
109 Stat. 540 |
11-19-1995 |
11-20-1995 |
7 |
||
|
3 |
59 |
109 Stat. 548 |
11-20-1995 |
12-15-1995 |
25 |
||
|
4 |
60 |
109 Stat. 767 |
12-22-1995 |
01-03-1996 |
19 |
||
|
5 |
61 |
110 Stat. 3 |
01-04-1996 |
01-25-1996 |
22 |
||
|
6 |
62 |
110 Stat. 10 |
01-06-1996 |
09-30-1996 |
290 |
||
|
7 |
63 |
110 Stat. 16 |
01-06-1996 |
09-30-1996 |
290 |
||
|
8 |
64 |
110 Stat. 25 |
01-06-1996 |
01-26-1996 |
43 |
||
|
9 |
65 |
110 Stat. 26 |
01-26-1996 |
03-15-1996 |
49 |
||
|
10 |
66 |
110 Stat. 826 |
03-15-1996 |
03-22-1996 |
7 |
||
|
11 |
67 |
110 Stat. 829 |
03-22-1996 |
03-29-1996 |
7 |
||
|
12 |
68 |
110 Stat. 876 |
03-29-1996 |
04-24-1996 |
26 |
||
|
13 |
69 |
110 Stat. 1213 |
04-24-1996 |
04-25-1996 |
1 |
||
|
1997 |
[none] |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
1998 |
1 |
70 |
111 Stat. 1153 |
09-30-1997 |
10-23-1997 |
23 |
|
|
2 |
71 |
111 Stat. 1343 |
10-23-1997 |
11-07-1997 |
15 |
||
|
3 |
72 |
111 Stat. 1453 |
11-07-1997 |
11-09-1997 |
2 |
||
|
4 |
73 |
111 Stat. 1454 |
11-09-1997 |
11-10-1997 |
1 |
||
|
5 |
74 |
111 Stat. 1456 |
11-10-1997 |
11-14-1997 |
4 |
||
|
6 |
75 |
111 Stat. 1628 |
11-14-1997 |
11-26-1997 |
12 |
||
|
1999 |
1 |
76 |
112 Stat. 1566 |
09-25-1998 |
10-09-1998 |
9 |
|
|
2 |
77 |
112 Stat. 1868 |
10-09-1998 |
10-12-1998 |
3 |
||
|
3 |
78 |
112 Stat. 1888 |
10-12-1998 |
10-14-1998 |
2 |
||
|
4 |
79 |
112 Stat. 1901 |
10-14-1998 |
10-16-1998 |
2 |
||
|
5 |
80 |
112 Stat. 1919 |
10-16-1998 |
10-20-1998 |
4 |
||
|
6 |
81 |
112 Stat. 2418 |
10-20-1998 |
10-21-1998 |
1 |
||
|
2000 |
1 |
82 |
113 Stat. 505 |
09-30-1999 |
10-21-1999 |
21 |
|
|
2 |
83 |
113 Stat. 1125 |
10-21-1999 |
10-29-1999 |
8 |
||
|
3 |
84 |
113 Stat. 1297 |
10-29-1999 |
11-05-1999 |
7 |
||
|
4 |
85 |
113 Stat. 1304 |
11-05-1999 |
11-10-1999 |
5 |
||
|
5 |
86 |
113 Stat. 1311 |
11-10-1999 |
11-17-1999 |
7 |
||
|
6 |
87 |
113 Stat. 1484 |
11-18-1999 |
11-18-1999 |
1 |
||
|
7 |
88 |
113 Stat. 1485 |
11-19-1999 |
12-02-1999 |
14 |
||
|
2001 |
1 |
89 |
114 Stat. 808 |
09-29-2000 |
10-06-2000 |
6 |
|
|
2 |
90 |
114 Stat. 866 |
10-06-2000 |
10-14-2000 |
8 |
||
|
3 |
91 |
114 Stat. 1073 |
10-13-2000 |
10-20-2000 |
6 |
||
|
4 |
92 |
114 Stat. 1318 |
10-20-2000 |
10-25-2000 |
5 |
||
|
5 |
93 |
114 Stat. 1397 |
10-26-2000 |
10-26-2000 |
1 |
||
|
6 |
94 |
114 Stat. 1398 |
10-26-2000 |
10-27-2000 |
1 |
||
|
7 |
95 |
114 Stat. 1450 |
10-27-2000 |
10-28-2000 |
1 |
||
|
8 |
96 |
114 Stat. 1550 |
10-28-2000 |
10-29-2000 |
1 |
||
|
9 |
97 |
114 Stat. 1551 |
10-29-2000 |
10-30-2000 |
1 |
||
|
10 |
98 |
114 Stat. 1676 |
10-30-2000 |
10-31-2000 |
1 |
||
|
11 |
99 |
114 Stat. 1741 |
11-01-2000 |
11-01-2000 |
1 |
||
|
12 |
100 |
114 Stat. 1811 |
11-01-2000 |
11-02-2000 |
1 |
||
|
13 |
101 |
114 Stat. 1897 |
11-03-2000 |
11-03-2000 |
1 |
||
|
14 |
102 |
114 Stat. 1898 |
11-04-2000 |
11-04-2000 |
1 |
||
|
15 |
103 |
114 Stat. 1899 |
11-04-2000 |
11-14-2000 |
10 |
||
|
16 |
104 |
114 Stat. 2436 |
11-15-2000 |
12-05-2000 |
21 |
||
|
17 |
105 |
114 Stat. 2562 |
12-05-2000 |
12-07-2000 |
2 |
||
|
18 |
106 |
114 Stat. 2570 |
12-07-2000 |
12-08-2000 |
1 |
||
|
19 |
107 |
114 Stat. 2571 |
12-08-2000 |
12-11-2000 |
3 |
||
|
20 |
108 |
114 Stat. 2713 |
12-11-2000 |
12-15-2000 |
4 |
||
|
21 |
109 |
114 Stat. 2714 |
12-15-2000 |
12-21-2000 |
6 |
||
|
2002 |
1 |
110 |
115 Stat. 253 |
09-28-2001 |
10-16-2001 |
16 |
|
|
2 |
111 |
115 Stat. 261 |
10-12-2001 |
10-23-2001 |
7 |
||
|
3 |
112 |
115 Stat. 269 |
10-22-2001 |
10-31-2001 |
8 |
||
|
4 |
113 |
115 Stat. 406 |
10-31-2001 |
11-16-2001 |
16 |
||
|
5 |
114 |
115 Stat. 596 |
11-17-2001 |
12-07-2001 |
21 |
||
|
6 |
115 |
115 Stat. 809 |
12-07-2001 |
12-15-2001 |
8 |
||
|
7 |
116 |
115 Stat. 822 |
12-15-2001 |
12-21-2001 |
6 |
||
|
8 |
117 |
115 Stat. 960 |
12-21-2001 |
01-10-2002 |
20 |
||
|
2003 |
1 |
118 |
116 Stat. 1465 |
09-30-2002 |
10-04-2002 |
4 |
|
|
2 |
119 |
116 Stat. 1482 |
10-04-2002 |
10-11-2002 |
7 |
||
|
3 |
120 |
116 Stat. 1492 |
10-11-2002 |
10-18-2002 |
7 |
||
|
4 |
121 |
116 Stat. 1503 |
10-18-2002 |
11-22-2002 |
35 |
||
|
5 |
122 |
116 Stat. 2062 |
11-23-2002 |
01-11-2003 |
50 |
||
|
6 |
123 |
117 Stat. 5 |
01-10-2003 |
01-31-2003 |
20 |
||
|
7 |
124 |
117 Stat. 8 |
01-31-2003 |
02-07-2003 |
7 |
||
|
8 |
125 |
117 Stat. 9 |
02-07-2003 |
02-20-2003 |
13 |
||
|
2004 |
1 |
126 |
117 Stat. 1042 |
09-30-2003 |
10-31-2003 |
31 |
|
|
2 |
127 |
117 Stat. 1200 |
10-31-2003 |
11-07-2003 |
7 |
||
|
3 |
128 |
117 Stat. 1240 |
11-07-2003 |
11-21-2003 |
14 |
||
|
4 |
129 |
117 Stat. 1391 |
11-22-2003 |
01-31-2004 |
71 |
||
|
5 |
130 |
117 Stat. 2684 |
12-16-2003 |
[n/a]k |
— |
||
|
2005 |
1 |
131 |
118 Stat. 1137 |
09-30-2004 |
11-20-2004 |
51 |
|
|
2 |
132 |
118 Stat. 2338 |
11-21-2004 |
12-03-2004 |
13 |
||
|
3 |
133 |
118 Stat. 2614 |
12-03-2004 |
12-08-2004 |
5 |
||
|
2006 |
1 |
134 |
119 Stat. 2037 |
09-30-2005 |
11-18-2005 |
49 |
|
|
2 |
135 |
119 Stat. 2287 |
11-19-2005 |
12-17-2005 |
29 |
||
|
3 |
136 |
119 Stat. 2549 |
12-18-2005 |
12-31-2005 |
14 |
||
|
2007 |
1 |
137 |
120 Stat. 1311 |
09-29-2006 |
11-17-2006 |
48 |
|
|
2 |
138 |
120 Stat. 2642 |
11-17-2006 |
12-08-2006 |
21 |
||
|
3 |
139 |
120 Stat. 2678 |
12-09-2006 |
02-15-2007 |
69 |
||
|
4 |
140 |
121 Stat. 8 |
02-15-2007 |
09-30-2007 |
227 |
||
|
2008 |
1 |
141 |
121 Stat. 989 |
09-29-2007 |
11-16-2007 |
47 |
|
|
2 |
142 |
121 Stat. 1341 |
11-13-2007 |
12-14-2007 |
28 |
||
|
3 |
143 |
121 Stat. 1454 |
12-14-2007 |
12-21-2007 |
7 |
||
|
4 |
144 |
121 Stat. 1819 |
12-21-2007 |
12-31-2007 |
10 |
||
|
2009 |
1 |
145 |
122 Stat. 3574 |
09-30-2008 |
03-06-2009 |
157 |
|
|
2 |
146 |
123 Stat. 522 |
03-06-2009 |
03-11-2009 |
5 |
||
|
2010 |
1 |
147 |
123 Stat. 2043 |
10-01-2009 |
10-31-2009 |
31 |
|
|
2 |
148 |
123 Stat. 2972 |
10-30-2009 |
12-18-2009 |
48 |
||
|
2011 |
1 |
149 |
124 Stat. 2607 |
09-30-2010 |
12-03-2010 |
64 |
|
|
2 |
150 |
124 Stat. 3063 |
12-04-2010 |
12-18-2010 |
15 |
||
|
3 |
151 |
124 Stat. 3454 |
12-18-2010 |
12-21-2010 |
3 |
||
|
4 |
152 |
124 Stat. 3518 |
12-22-2010 |
03-04-2011 |
73 |
||
|
5 |
153 |
125 Stat. 6 |
03-02-2011 |
03-18-2011 |
14 |
||
|
6 |
154 |
125 Stat. 23 |
03-18-2011 |
04-08-2011 |
21 |
||
|
7 |
155 |
125 Stat. 34 |
04-09-2011 |
04-15-2011 |
7 |
||
|
8 |
156 |
125 Stat. 102 |
04-15-2011 |
09-30-2011 |
168 |
||
|
2012 |
1 |
157 |
125 Stat. 363 |
09-30-2011 |
10-04-2011 |
4 |
|
|
2 |
158 |
125 Stat. 386 |
10-05-2011 |
11-18-2011 |
45 |
||
|
3 |
159 |
125 Stat. 710 |
11-18-2011 |
12-16-2011 |
28 |
||
|
4 |
160 |
125 Stat. 769 |
12-16-2011 |
12-17-2011 |
1 |
||
|
5 |
161 |
125 Stat. 770 |
12-17-2011 |
12-23-2011 |
6 |
||
|
2013 |
1 |
162 |
126 Stat. 1313 |
09-28-2012 |
03-27-2013 |
178 |
|
|
2 |
163 |
127 Stat. 198 |
03-26-2013 |
09-30-2013 |
(365)r |
||
|
2014 |
1 |
164 |
127 Stat. 532 |
09-30-2013 |
[n/a]s |
(17)s |
|
|
2 |
165 |
127 Stat. 555 |
10-10-2013 |
12-15-2013s |
(8)s |
||
|
3 |
166 |
127 Stat. 558 |
10-17-2013 |
01-15-2014 |
(107)s |
||
|
4 |
167 |
128 Stat. 3 |
01-15-2014 |
01-18-2014 |
3 |
||
|
2015 |
1 |
168 |
128 Stat. 1867 |
09-19-2014 |
12-11-2014 |
72 |
|
|
2 |
169 |
128 Stat. 2069 |
12-12-2014 |
12-13-2014 |
1 |
||
|
3 |
170 |
128 Stat. 2070 |
12-13-2014 |
12-17-2014 |
4 |
||
|
4 |
171 |
128 Stat. 2767 |
12-16-2014 |
02-27-2015 |
72 |
||
|
5 |
172 |
129 Stat. 38 |
02-27-2015 |
03-06-2015 |
7 |
||
|
2016 |
1 |
173 |
129 Stat. 502 |
09-30-2015 |
12-11-2015 |
72 |
|
|
2 |
174 |
129 Stat. 2193 |
12-11-2015 |
12-16-2015 |
5 |
||
|
3 |
175 |
129 Stat. 2202 |
12-16-2015 |
12-22-2015 |
6 |
||
|
2017 |
1 |
176 |
130 Stat. 857t |
09-29-2016 |
12-09-2016 |
70 |
|
|
2 |
177 |
130 Stat. 1005 |
12-10-2016 |
04-28-2017 |
139 |
||
|
3 |
178 |
131 Stat. 134 |
04-28-2017 |
05-05-2017 |
7 |
||
|
2018 |
1 |
179 |
131 Stat. 1129u |
09-08-2017 |
12-08-2017 |
69 |
|
|
2 |
180 |
131 Stat. 1280 |
12-08-2017 |
12-22-2017 |
14 |
||
|
3 |
181 |
131 Stat. 2044 |
12-22-2017 |
01-19-2018 |
28 |
||
|
4 |
182 |
131 Stat. 28 |
01-22-2018 |
02-08-2018 |
|||
|
5 |
183 |
132 Stat. 64 |
02-09-2018 |
03-23-2018 |
|||
|
2019 |
1 |
184 |
132 Stat. 2981 |
09-28-2018 |
12-07-2018 |
68 |
|
|
2 |
185 |
132 Stat. 4382 |
12-07-2018 |
12-21-2018 |
14 |
||
|
3 |
186 |
132 Stat. 10 |
1-25-2019 |
2-15-2019 |
56w |
||
|
2020 |
1 |
187 |
133 Stat. 1093 |
9-27-2019 |
11-21-2019 |
52 |
|
|
2 |
188 |
133 Stat. 1134 |
11-21-2019 |
12-20-2019 |
29 |
||
|
2021 |
1 |
189 |
134 Stat. 709 |
10-01-2020 |
12-11-2020 |
72 |
|
|
2 |
190 |
134 Stat. 1041 |
12-11-2020 |
12-18-2020 |
7 |
||
|
3 |
191 |
134 Stat. 1098 |
12-18-2020 |
12-20-2020 |
2 |
||
|
4 |
192 |
134 Stat. 1099 |
12-20-2020 |
12-21-2020 |
1 |
||
|
5 |
193 |
134 Stat. 1119 |
12-22-2020 |
12-28-2020 |
6 |
||
|
2022 |
1 |
194 |
135 Stat. 344 |
09-30-2021 |
12-03-2021 |
64 |
|
|
2 |
195 |
135 Stat. 1499 |
12-03-2021 |
02-18-2022 |
77 |
||
|
3 |
196 |
136 Stat. 15 |
02-18-2022 |
03-11-2022 |
21 |
||
|
4 |
197 |
136 Stat. 33 |
03-11-2022 |
03-15-2022 |
4 |
||
|
2023 |
1 |
198 |
136 Stat. 2114 |
09-30-2022 |
12-16-2022 |
77 |
|
|
2 |
199 |
136 Stat. 2308 |
12-16-2022 |
12-23-2022 |
7 |
||
|
3 |
200 |
136 Stat. 4167 |
12-23-2022 |
12-30-2022 |
7 |
||
|
2024 |
1 |
201 |
137 Stat. 71 |
09-30-2023 |
11-17-2023 |
48 |
|
|
2 |
202 |
137 Stat. 112 |
11-17-2023 |
01-19-2024 02-02-2024 |
63 77 |
||
|
3 |
203 |
138 Stat. 3 |
01-19-2024 |
03-01-2024 03-08-2024 |
42 35 |
||
|
4 |
204 |
138 Stat. 17 |
03-01-2024 |
03-08-2024 03-22-2024 |
7 14 |
||
|
2025 |
1 |
205 |
138 Stat. 1524 |
09-26-2024 |
12-20-2024 |
81 |
|
|
2 |
206 |
138 Stat. 1722 |
12-21-2024 |
03-14-2025 |
84 |
||
|
3 |
207 |
139 Stat. 9 |
03-15-2025 |
09-30-2025 |
200 |
Source: Prepared by CRS using data from the Legislative Information System; CRS, appropriations status tables (various fiscal years), available at http://crs.gov/Pages/appover.aspx; and various other sources.
Notes:
a. Duration in days is measured, in the case of the initial CR for a fiscal year from the first day of the fiscal year (October 1) through the expiration date. For subsequent CRs for a fiscal year, duration in days is measured from the day after the expiration of the preceding CR. In several instances, as appropriate, the number of days reflects an extra day in a leap year (every fourth year beginning with calendar year 1976). The duration of CRs that ended a lapse in appropriations includes the period of that funding gap and is calculated from the first full day after the final day that budget authority was provided through the expiration date of the CR. Several CRs provided continuing appropriations for mixed periods of time. For example, three CRs—P.L. 96-86 (for FY1980), P.L. 97-51 (for FY1982), and P.L. 97-276 (for FY1983)—were enacted in November or December of the applicable year for periods covering 51 days, 51 days, and 78 days, respectively, but they also included continuing appropriations for the remainder of that fiscal year for activities covered by the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. (See also the discussion of actions for FY1996 under footnote j.) In these instances, the "Duration in Days" column reflects the time period that applied to the greatest number of activities funded by the measure. For FY2024, three of the CRs established two groups with separate expiration dates. Although the expiration dates and duration indicated in the table reflects this dual, "laddered" approach, successive appropriations for both groups were enacted before the expiration dates for the earlier group (consisting of the group with funds provided in the Agriculture, Energy & Water, Military Construction & Veterans' Affairs, and Transportation & Housing and Urban Development appropriations acts).
b. Title IV (95 Stat. 95-96) of P.L. 97-12, the Supplemental Appropriations and Rescission Act for FY1981, provided continuing appropriations for FY1981.
c. P.L. 97-377 incorporated the full text of various regular appropriations acts.
d. Title I (98 Stat. 1837-1976) of P.L. 98-473 provided continuing appropriations for FY1985.
e. P.L. 99-190 incorporated the full text of various regular appropriations acts.
f. P.L. 99-591 superseded P.L. 99-500 and corrected enrollment errors in the earlier act. Both laws originated as H.J.Res. 738.
g. P.L. 100-202 incorporated the full text of various regular appropriations acts.
h. Title I (104 Stat. 867-870) of P.L. 101-403 provided continuing appropriations for FY1991.
i. Section 106(c) of provided that, as an exception to the general expiration date, continuing appropriations for the Foreign Operation Appropriations Act would expire on March 31, 1992 (a duration of 154 days).
j. A total of 13 CRs were enacted for FY1996 (and one was vetoed). Two funding gaps occurred, the first in mid-November 1995 and the second from mid-December 1995 until early January 1996. The CRs for this year may be divided into two categories depending on whether their coverage was generally comprehensive or partial. Nine of the CRs enacted for FY1996 generally provided short-term funding for all activities under the regular appropriations acts that had not yet been enacted, while the other four provided funding only for selected activities within certain acts. The four acts in the latter category included the following:
(1) P.L. 104-69, which funded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs, programs of the District of Columbia, and certain veterans' programs;
(2) P.L. 104-90, which funded programs of the District of Columbia;
(3) P.L. 104-91, Title I, which funded a variety of programs, including ones pertaining to the Peace Corps, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, trade adjustment assistance benefits, and the National Institutes of Health, among others; and
(4) P.L. 104-92, which funded a variety of programs, including ones pertaining to nutrition services for the elderly, visitor services in the National Park System, certain veterans' programs, and programs of the District of Columbia, among others.
Activities under two of the regular appropriations acts for FY1996 were funded through the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 1996) in CRs: (1) Title IV of P.L. 104-92 provided such funding for activities covered by the District of Columbia Appropriations Act; and (2) Title III of P.L. 104-99 provided such funding for activities covered by the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act. In addition, other selected activities were funded through the remainder of the fiscal year by P.L. 104-91, P.L. 104-92, and P.L. 104-122. Action on the regular appropriations acts for FY1996 was concluded with the enactment of P.L. 104-134, the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996, on April 26, 1996 (110 Stat. 1321 through 1321-381), which provided funding for the remainder of the fiscal year for activities covered by five of the regular appropriations acts.
Three of the CRs had mixed periods of duration. The duration shown in the table was determined as follows:
(1) Most of the funding provided in P.L. 104-92 was for the remainder of the fiscal year, so a duration of 290 days was used, and it also provided retroactive budget authority beginning on December 16, 1995;
(2) While the funding provided in P.L. 104-99 for activities covered by the Foreign Operations Appropriations Act was for the remainder of the fiscal year, the funding provided for activities covered by four other regular appropriations acts was through March 15, 1996, so a duration of 49 days was used; and
(3) Most of the funding provided in P.L. 104-122 was through April 24, while only one account was funded through the remainder of the fiscal year, so a duration of 26 days was used.
In the case of P.L. 104-91, a measure requiring the Secretary of Commerce to convey to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the National Marine Fisheries Service laboratory located on Emerson Avenue in Gloucester, MA, Title I (110 Stat. 10-14) of the act provided continuing appropriations for selected activities for the remainder of FY1996. Section 110 of the act made the funding effective as of December 16, 1995. The act also provided retroactive budget authority starting on December 16, 1995.
In the case of P.L. 104-54, retroactive budget authority was provided starting on November 14, 1995, and in the case of P.L. 104-94, retroactive budget authority was provided starting on December 16, 1995.
k. P.L. 108-185 included provisions affecting funding levels for two specified programs but did not include a provision affecting the expiration date of January 31, 2004, established in the preceding CR (P.L. 108-135).
l. Continuing appropriations for FY2007 were provided by Division B (120 Stat. 1311) of P.L. 109-289, the Defense Appropriations Act for FY2007.
m. Continuing appropriations for FY2008 were provided by Division B (121 Stat. 1341) of P.L. 110-116, the Defense Appropriations Act for FY2008.
n. Continuing appropriations for FY2010 were provided by Division B (123 Stat. 2043) of P.L. 111-68, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act for FY2010.
o. Continuing appropriations for FY2010 were provided by Division B (123 Stat. 2972) of P.L. 111-88, the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for 2010.
p. Full-year continuing appropriations for FY2011 were provided by Division B (125 Stat. 102) of P.L. 112-10, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act for 2011.
q. Continuing appropriations for FY2012 were provided by Division D (125 Stat. 710) of P.L. 112-55, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act for 2012.
r. In P.L. 113-6, both the full text (Divisions A-E) and continuing (Division F) appropriations were for the entire fiscal year (FY2013) and superseded the continuing appropriations provided by P.L. 112-175
s. A total of four CRs were enacted for FY2014. This count includes two CRs that provided funding for only specific programs and activities during the FY2014 funding gap. The Pay Our Military Act (P.L. 113-39) was enacted on September 30, 2013, and provided funding for FY2014. The Department of Defense Survivor Benefits Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (P.L. 113-44), was enacted on October 10, 2013, and expired on December 15, 2013. However, the funding provided by both of these CRs was terminated on October 17, 2013, through the enactment of a third CR, P.L. 113-46, which broadly funded the previous fiscal year's activities through January 15, 2014. The funding provided by this third CR was extended through January 18 by the enactment of a fourth CR (P.L. 113-73). Section 118 of P.L. 113-46 provided that the time covered by that act was to have begun on October 1, 2013. For the purposes of this table, the duration in days for the first two CRs is considered to have ended on October 17, 2013. The third CR is considered to have begun on October 1, 2013, and expired on January 15, 2014. For further information on the FY2014 funding gap and congressional action on associated CRs, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno.
t. Continuing appropriations for FY2017 were provided through December 9, 2016 by Division C (130 Stat. 908) of P.L. 114-223, the Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act.
u. Continuing appropriations for FY2018 were provided through December 8, 2017 by Division D (131 Stat 1129) of P.L. 115-56, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017.
v. Section 2003 of the fourth CR for FY2018 provided that the time covered by previous CRs was to have included a funding gap from January 20, 2018 to January 22, 2018. For the purposes of this table, the duration in days is considered consecutive from the start of the fiscal year. For further information on the FY2018 funding gap, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno.
w. In addition to providing continuing appropriations through February 15, 2019, Section 102 of this CR provided that continuing appropriations were considered to cover the funding gap from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019. For further information on the FY2019 funding gap, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno.
| 1. |
For further information on the appropriations process, see CRS Report R47106, The Appropriations Process: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno and Megan S. Lynch. Appropriations acts provide agencies with budget authority, which is defined as authority provided by federal law to enter into contracts or other financial obligations and for the Treasury to subsequently outlay the funds to meet those obligations. For further explanation, see CRS In Focus IF12105, Introduction to Budget Authority, by James V. Saturno. For the purposes of this report, the terms budget authority and funding are used interchangeably. |
| 2. |
For further information on funding gaps and shutdowns, see respectively,CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno; and CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass. |
| 3. |
These prohibitions are codified by the Antideficiency Acts (31 U.S.C. §§1341-1342, 1511-1519). Exceptions are made under the act, including for activities involving "the safety of human life or the protection of property" (31 U.S.C. §1342). The Antideficiency Acts are discussed in CRS Report RL30795, General Management Laws: A Compendium (available to congressional clients upon request). In addition, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) provides information about the act online at http://www.gao.gov/ada/antideficiency.htm. |
| 4. |
Although all 13 FY1977 regular appropriations bills became law on or before the start of the fiscal year, two CRs were enacted to provide funding for certain activities that had not been included in the regular appropriations acts. The use of CRs had also been common prior to the beginning of the fiscal year being moved to October 1. For example, in each of the 23 years prior to FY1977 (i.e., FY1954-FY1976), during which the federal fiscal year began on July 1, at least one CR was enacted for each fiscal year. See Congressional Record, vol. 118 (May 31, 1972), pp. 19358-19359; and CRS archived report, An Overview of the Use of Continuing Appropriations, September 26, 1980 (available to congressional clients upon request). |
| 5. |
See, for example, Section 101 of P.L. 105-240. |
| 6. |
Two or more regular appropriations bills are sometimes packaged into a single or "omnibus" legislative vehicle prior to enactment. For a discussion of this practice, see CRS Report RL32473, Omnibus Appropriations Acts: Overview of Recent Practices, by James V. Saturno. |
| 7. |
Regular appropriations bills are drafted as a series of unnumbered paragraphs with headings, with each one generally reflecting a unique budget "account." Elements within budget accounts are divided by "program, project or activity" based upon the table "Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority" in the back of the report accompanying the appropriations bill. |
| 8. |
For a discussion of how funding rates are calculated, see GAO, Office of the General Counsel, Principles of Federal Appropriations Law, vol. II, 3rd ed. (2004), at 8-10 to 8-14. |
| 9. |
From a functional perspective, CRs that provide appropriations by using the full text of acts (including by cross-reference), rather than by using a formulaic rate (as was the case in several years in the 1980s), may sometimes be categorized as omnibus appropriations acts rather than CRs, even though they are entitled an act "making continuing appropriations" or "making further continuing appropriations." |
| 10. |
Although appropriations bills most commonly provide budget authority that is available for obligation for one fiscal year, budget authority for an activity may be provided for more than one year ("multiyear") or indefinitely ("no-year"). In instances where funds provided in previous years are still available for the purpose of initiating a new project or activity, such funds may generally be used for this purpose, even though funds for the current fiscal year are provided by a CR. GAO, Glossary, p. 22. |
| 11. |
For a discussion of anomalies provided in the first CR for FY2023, see CRS Report R47283, Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2023 (Division A of P.L. 117-180), by Drew C. Aherne and Sarah B. Solomon. |
| 12. |
House Rule XXI, clause 2, prohibits such language in general appropriations measures and applicable amendments. House Rule XXII, clause 5, in effect, generally extends the House Rule XXI, clause 2, prohibition to conference reports. CRs, however, are not considered to be general appropriations bills because they provide only temporary appropriations. John V. Sullivan, Thomas J. Wickham Jr. and Jason A. Smith, House Practice: A Guide to the Rules, Precedents and Procedures of the House, (Washington: GPO, 2024), ch. 4, §6, pp. 76-77; and Lewis Deschler, Deschler's Precedents of the United States House of Representatives, vol. vii, ch. 25, §7.1, §7.2, H.Doc 94-661, 94th Cong., 2nd sess. (Washington: GPO, 1994), pp. 637-640. |
| 13. |
Senate Rule XVI, paragraphs 2-6. |
| 14. |
For further information on House and Senate restrictions on legislation in appropriations, see CRS Report R41634, Limitations in Appropriations Measures: An Overview of Procedural Issues, by James V. Saturno. |
| 15. |
For further information on points of order, see CRS Report 98-307, Points of Order, Rulings, and Appeals in the House of Representatives, by Valerie Heitshusen; and CRS Report 98-306, Points of Order, Rulings, and Appeals in the Senate, by Valerie Heitshusen. |
| 16. |
P.L. 98-473, 98 Stat. 1837. |
| 17. |
Although all 13 FY1977 regular appropriations bills became law on or before the start of the fiscal year, two CRs were enacted to provide funding for certain activities that had not been included in the regular appropriations acts. |
| 18. |
FY1997 was the most recent fiscal year that all regular appropriations bills were completed by the start of the fiscal year. |
| 19. |
This included periods in which there were funding gaps of two days in FY2018 and 34 days in FY2019. |
| 20. |
The full-year CR for FY1976, P.L. 94-254, provided funding through the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 1976) as well as through the end of a "transition quarter" (September 30, 1976). The additional quarter of funding was necessary to facilitate the change in the start of the federal government fiscal year from July 1 to October 1. |