A continuing resolution circus under a big top dome

Mark Twain once said, “History may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” For some reason, this refrain keeps running through my mind every time Congress takes up the CR Binge (abbreviation: Continuing Appropriations Resolution).

I named this column “CR Circus” not to mock its colorful and acrobatic elements, but to highlight it as an important bridge to a more stable and functioning government. The cyclical nature of the CR process refers to its repeated use to provide ongoing governance. Think of his 12 white stallions galloping in a circle inside the center ring of a circus. At the heart of the spending process is a cacophony of competing interests, demands, and ideologies, all vying for attention and a fair share of the pie.

For this resident of Washington, D.C., for more than half a century, CR has become a regular feature of the Congressional budget process, even though the Budget Act does not mention CR as a regular step in the Congressional budget process. It’s not surprising. Its purpose is to keep the government functioning in the event Congress fails to pass all 12 regular appropriations bills by the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1.

That is why they are often referred to as “stopgap” government funding measures. They fill funding gaps for federal departments to continue carrying out their statutory responsibilities.

according to Congressional Research Service (CRS) dataIn all but three of the 47 years since the start of the fiscal year was changed from July 1 to October 1 in 1978, it has taken one or more CRs to keep the government open and fully functioning. It was necessary. For 14 of those years, ending in fiscal year 2023, CR covered all appropriations bills until the end, with an average annual number of CRs of 5.04 and an average number of CRs lasting 137.5 days per year. CR’s last full year coverage was in 2011 and 2013.

To understand what drives this process, consider the alternative: a government shutdown.of The longest government shutdown in recent years was 35 days in 2018-2019. over President Trump’s request for enough money to complete construction of his border wall. It was followed by a 21-day shutdown in 1995-1996 due to a dispute between House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and President Bill Clinton. In 2013, under President Barack Obama and House Republicans, it was 16 days.

Some hardline fiscal conservatives have openly advocated for a government shutdown. Please shut down! Their idea is that only a government shutdown crisis will force leaders in Congress and the White House to capitulate to demands for tougher and deeper budget cuts. However, such negotiations are rarely successful.

The usual formula for CR is to fund existing programs at the previous fiscal year’s spending levels until the new year’s levels are enacted. Additionally, the use of insurance riders is generally discouraged since legislation (authorization) of spending bills is already prohibited by regulation. Nevertheless, some riders have gained bipartisan, bicameral, and White House support when carried over from previous CRs or as essential to good management practices or national security needs. may be included if

The current fiscal year 2024 appropriations process has entered its sixth month of unfinished fiscal business in Congress, with four continuing resolutions enacted from October 1 to date. A new twist has been added to the second, third, and fourth CRs, with two expiration dates set for him. The first covers his four regular spending measures, and the second covers the remaining eight.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees on Sunday released the first six bills, combining them into one package (the minibus bill), which the House approved. Suspension of rules Wednesday. The remaining six elephants will likely be consolidated by the March 22 deadline and confirmed to bring elephants to the final parade.

So far, the House has already passed 7 out of 12 votes, while the Senate has only 3 votes. However, none of the usual 12 bills have been passed by both houses, much less resolved through negotiations between the two houses. Returning to Mark Twain’s view that history sometimes rhymes rather than repeats itself, perhaps a limerick is an appropriate way to end this circular tour through the world of budgeting.

There was a time when Congress got involved,
While the budget is extremely tight.
It worked until the end
To save more than you spend,
then wraps itself
With the Star-Spangled Banner.

Don Wolfensberger is a 28-year veteran of Congressional staff, ultimately serving as chief of staff on the House Rules Committee. His books include Parliament and the People: Deliberative Democracy in Courts (2000) and Changing Parliamentary Culture: From Fair Play to Power Play. The views expressed are his own.