Congress is facing a deadline this month to prevent a government shutdown, but lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have made clear some kind of stopgap measure is needed to keep the government running.
Lawmakers have until Sept. 30 to pass a bill to keep the budget from expiring. The November elections may make a government shutdown less likely, but leaders have a lot of work to do amid deep rifts over spending.
Here are some things that could complicate these efforts:
CR Period
The continuing resolution (CR), which would keep government funding at current levels after the November election, has bipartisan support and could give either side significant influence in funding negotiations depending on the election outcome.
But some Republicans in the House and Senate, optimistic that former President Trump could return to office, are pushing for a stopgap bill that would postpone the next funding deadline until next year.
Supporters of the plan say it could help keep Congress from becoming overwhelmed with a year-end budget bill that would compile all 12 government funding bills for the next fiscal year, and it could allow President Trump more input into legislation if he wins the White House this fall.
Democrats are strongly opposed to the plan, and some Republicans in particular who are responsible for writing annual spending bills are reluctant to push the work off until next year.
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) has repeatedly urged lawmakers to complete their budget work by the end of the year.
“I think they believe, and I agree, that we're going to win the election, and they think that that's going to increase their influence,” Cole said earlier this year, but he also reiterated that similar strategies in the past haven't always worked.
Citizenship Voting Bill
There is growing pressure among House conservatives to accompany the expected suffrage bill with a bill that would include stricter proof of citizenship requirements to vote.
But a funding bill containing the measure is almost certain to fail to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, adding another hurdle to a time-pressured process.
Supporters of the Protect American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act say the bill would ensure that only citizens can vote in federal elections by requiring states to require proof of citizenship to register to vote and by requiring states to purge non-citizens from their voter rolls.
Democrats have vetoed the bill, which the Biden administration vowed to veto when the House of Representatives took up the measure last month, pointing out that it is already a crime for foreign nationals to vote in federal elections. The White House also argued that the bill would make it harder for people to register to vote, increasing “the risk that voters will be removed from the voter rolls.”
Some conservatives see the strategy as a way to gain more influence to secure other priorities.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said at a recent press conference that discussions about a funding strategy are ongoing.
Asked whether he thought Johnson would attach the SAVE Act to the stopgap bill next month, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who sponsored the voting bill in July, said, “I actually think he might do that.”
“The real question is, will it pass the House?” he added. “And I don't know.”
Spending Levels
Hard-line conservatives remain unhappy with spending levels set by two major spending packages passed with bipartisan support earlier this year, and some are not thrilled with the prospect of CR keeping funding frozen.
“My problem is that with a CR, spending just stays constant. You end up with an omnibus budget. Some people want a full-year CR,” Biggs said. “Why not actually create a proposed budget? … It's all complicated and confusing and crazy.”
The House has passed about half of the 12 regular budget bills on a partisan basis, but party squabbles have blocked the others from passing the full House. Meanwhile, the Senate is moving most of its spending bills through committees but has not passed any of them on the floor, making it unlikely that the House versions of any of them will be taken up.
VA Budget Shortage
Congress failed to pass legislation last month to address a roughly $3 billion budget shortfall at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), leading officials to warn that benefits for millions of veterans are at risk in the coming weeks.
The department cited the PACT Act, a landmark law passed with bipartisan support in 2022, as a major factor in the budget shortfall, and pointed to an increase in enrollment in VA medical, appointment and claims benefits.
The VA said it is asking Congress for about $3 billion in “mandated benefit funds” in fiscal year 2024 and about $12 billion in “health care funding” in fiscal year 2025.
Senators from both parties are hopeful they can pass a standalone bill to fill the small, immediate funding gap before the Sept. 20 deadline, just over a week before government funding expires.
Sen. John Boozman (R-Arkansas), the top Republican on the subcommittee that sets the VA's annual budget, was pressed before the House recess about using an expected stopgap budget bill as a legislative vehicle to address the roughly $3 billion shortfall.
“I think the only problem is nobody really knows when that's going to happen, but this is something we want to make sure we take care of our veterans and make sure that they don't miss out on the checks that many of them totally rely on,” Boozman said, though he noted there's a “chances” the emergency funds are contingent on the CR.
