Yes, Another Continuing Resolution
Congress has given itself yet another extension on making the hard funding decisions for the remainder of this fiscal year. Both House and Senate members are expected to pass an additional one week CR (continuing resolution) that will expire next Friday, May 5. So, no government shutdown – for this week at least. But next week may be another story – one never knows.
ASDWA has looked into the history of Federal shutdowns since the middle of the 20th century and has uncovered some interesting facts:
As we all know, there are 12 different appropriations bills that must be passed each year to keep the Federal Government in operation. According to a 2013 Congressional Research Service Report titled Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, calendar year 1996 (FY 97), more than 20 years ago, was the last time the House and Senate passed, the President signed, and all 12 of the funding measures were enacted into law.
Since September 30, 1977, the Federal Government has shut its doors a total of 18 times. The longest shutdown lasted 21 days (12/15/95-1/6/96), the next longest closed the Federal Government for 17 days (9/30/78-10/18/78), followed by the most recent shutdown – a 16 day closure in 2013 (9/30/13-10/17/13). The greatest number of shutdowns in a single year occurred in 1977 (FY 78) with three separate closures ranging over 28 days between 9/30/77 and 12/9/77.
The lengthy 1996 closure somewhat reined in the Federal funding process and, as the century turned from 20th to 21st, lawmakers more often than not passed at least some of the appropriations bills on time. Sadly, that more determined approach to Federal funding didn’t last very long. Since 2009, not a single appropriations bill for any Federal agency has been enacted on time.
It remains to be seen how our elected officials will perform during this latest extension. Here’s hoping that they find common ground and that 2017 does not add to the list of Federal shutdowns!
