A Continuing Resolution isn’t the typical subject of water cooler conversations. Since many stories in the news recently have focused on the subject, this is a good opportunity to figure out what it really is and where it comes from.
The President of the United States is responsible for creating a federal budget each fiscal year. After careful planning, he submits his budget request to Congress for approval. From there, it’s divided into 12 sections, known as appropriations bills. Each bill goes to a separate subcommittee in both the House and the Senate with jurisdiction over the content in a particular bill. A vote by Congress is then held on each section.
If all goes well, the final package is approved by both houses of Congress and is sent back to the President for his signature. When a disagreement over one or more provisions occurs, Congress can choose to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR). A CR extends the previous year’s budget into the next year to avoid any gaps in federal services.
A CR is meant to be a temporary measure to continue federal funding until an agreement can be made on the content of the budget. When Congress cannot agree on a budget, and they fail to create a CR to authorize federal spending, all but the most essential services in the impacted federal agencies and programs must shut down when the existing budget expires.
For the recent Continuing Resolution from September 24, 2012, click here.
For the 2013 Federal Budget, click here.
What do you think about the process of operating on a Continuing Resolution when an agreement on a budget can’t be reached?
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