Congress Approves Late Continuing Resolutions, Putting Off Government Shutdown Debate for Another Three Months

Once again, the prospect of a partial federal government shutdown has been forestalled with passage of a continuing resolution in the U.S. Senate, putting off a final budget vote until late December.

In a 78 to 18 ballot approving continuing appropriations and extensions for fiscal year 2025, the U.S. Senate ducked a September 30 deadline cut off that could have put an immediate halt to a number of infrastructure and military base construction projects.

The continuing resolution was supported by Arizona Democrat Mark Kelly and Arizona Independent Krysten Sinema; Colorado Democrats Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper; and both Democrat Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico.

Of the 18 voting in opposition, two represent Western states: Republican Mike Crapo of Idaho and Mike Lee of Utah.

Surveying the continuing resolution vote, New York Democrat and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said it was a "good outcome for the country. There will be no shutdown."

The Senate vote came after the House of Representatives, in a 341 to 82 vote approved what has been described as a "clean, shorter stopgap measure" that won support on both sides of the aisle.

Rarely in agreement with Schumer on most issues, House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana remarked that it would be "political malpractice to shut the government down."
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But the Speaker noted that in the last hours of the vote in both chambers there remained no agreement on the largest spending issues, meaning that both the House and Senate will be forced to take up those issues again after the November election, but before the end-of-December government shutdown date.

By Garry Boulard
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