Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) on Wednesday, September 25, extending funding of the federal government for an additional 12 weeks through December 20. The legislation passed the House with a vote of 341-82. Most of the North Carolina delegation voted yea and Representative Bishop voted nay. The legislation passed the Senate with a vote of 78-18 with Senator Tillis voting yea and Senator Budd voting nay.
The CR is considered mostly clean, meaning it included very few policy riders and little additional funding. The handful of riders included in this CR extended Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program replacement benefits and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The CR also provided additional funding for the Secret Service, but it did not include funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency which had been a priority for some members of Congress.
When Congress returns for the lame duck session on November 12, 2024, the top priority will be to address funding for the federal government for the next fiscal year. If both political parties and both chambers of Congress do not reach an agreement on fiscal year 2025 funding before the December 20 deadline, they could look to pass another short-term CR, which would further delay the process, most likely until March 2025, or consider a year-long CR.
In the five weeks of lame duck session, Congress may also consider the National Defense Authorization Act, the Farm Bill, and the Water Resources Development Act. Other potential legislation for Congress to consider includes the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act reauthorization, the Older Americans Act reauthorization and tax extenders.
