BGOV OnPoint: Lawmakers Careen Toward Government Shutdown

Lawmakers have until Sept. 30 to pass a short-term funding measure or risk a government shutdown.

Download the BGOV OnPoint: Continuing Resolutions and Shutdowns

Stopgap spending bills, also known as continuing resolutions, have become the norm in Congress as lawmakers typically don’t reach agreement on all 12 full-year appropriations bill before the Oct. 1 start of the fiscal year.

When Congress can’t pass a CR either, a funding lapse can occur and lead to a partial government shutdown — the most recent was in fiscal 2019 over disputes around then-President Donald Trump’s border wall and lasted almost five weeks.

The ...