The Looming Federal Government Funding Deadline: Avert a Partial Shutdown and Complete the Annual Appropriations Process
As the federal government funding deadline approaches on March 22, 2024, lawmakers are working diligently to avoid a partial shutdown and finalize the annual appropriations process. After months of passing short-term extensions to prevent funding lapses, Congress passed a package of six bills in early March to fund several government agencies for the remainder of the fiscal year. However, key government operations still require funding before the deadline.
The Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, State, and the legislative branch are among those that need to be funded by March 22. The Department of Homeland Security has presented a significant challenge in the funding debate due to partisan disagreements over border policy.
The current fiscal year began on October 1, 2023, and since then, lawmakers have faced several funding deadlines as a result of short-term extensions. The Senate needs to reach a time agreement to pass the legislation before the shutdown deadline, and any objection from a single senator could delay the process and potentially lead lawmakers to the brink of, or past, the deadline.
In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson must navigate a narrow majority while dealing with pushback from right-wing members of his conference. The speaker relied on both Republican and Democratic votes to pass the six-bill funding package earlier this month, which included funding for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, as well as the Food and Drug Administration, military construction, and other federal programs.
Johnson’s election as speaker last year followed McCarthy’s historic and unprecedented ouster from his leadership post, leaving House Republicans in a state of turmoil for weeks as they selected a successor. Many Republicans are keen to prevent a repeat of this scenario.
McCarthy’s unexpected exit from his position led to intense internal strife among House Republicans, as they grappled with electing a successor. The possibility of Johnson facing a similar challenge amid backlash from the far-right wing of his party is a concern for many in Congress.
Potential challenges remain ahead, despite the progress made towards completing the annual appropriations process. Time will tell if lawmakers can successfully avert a partial government shutdown and finalize funding for the remaining departments before March 22, 2024.
