A U.S. senator who serves on the budget committee is calling on Congress to pass a Continuing Resolution to keep the federal government operating and allow for passage of an omnibus funding bill for fiscal year 2023.
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), who according to his biography believes that the “federal government is bankrupting America,” tweeted his support of a one-week Continuing Resolution that would avoid a government shutdown when the current Continuing Resolution expires on Friday.
“As much as I hate the dysfunction a Continuing Resolution represents, a massive omnibus would be worse,” Johnson tweeted. “Let’s pass a CR that will allow a Republican House to pass a more fiscally responsible spending bill early next year.”
A one-week stopgap funding bill to avoid a government shutdown on Friday night was approved on Wednesday by the House 224 to 201, according to Government Executive. Hurdles remain in the Senate.
Congress passed a stopgap funding bill (Continuing Resolution) in September. The bill will fund the government until Friday, the Child Welfare League of America reported.
“President Biden signed the bill on Friday, Sept. 30, avoiding a government shut and buying more time for Congress to reach an agreement on Appropriations,” the league reported.
In September, the Senate passed the bill 72 to 25, but over 200 Republican House members voted against it, citing failure to address border security, inflation and supply chain issues. Some Republicans want to delay work on spending levels for the coming fiscal year until January, when the next Congress will begin.
Reuters reported on Monday that the Senate “will aim to vote on a bill to keep the federal government operating for one week past a Friday deadline,” giving Republicans and Democrats time to work on an omnibus bill to fund the government through next September.
“Over the weekend, appropriators held positive and productive conversations,” Reuters reported U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) saying in a speech to the Senate. “Referring to a short-term bill known as a ‘continuing resolution,’ he added, ‘Later this week members should be prepared to take quick action on a CR, a one-week CR, so we can give appropriators more time to finish a full-funding bill before the holidays.’”
Without a resolution, federal workers could be furloughed. Furloughs (temporary leave of absence) took place four years ago, leading to a government shutdown that lasted over a month and almost resulted in major airport closures.
Federal agencies maintain contingency plans in case of a lapse in appropriations, according to The White House. The plans follow the Antideficiency Act that prevents agencies incurring obligations or making expenditures “in excess of amounts available in appropriations or funds,” Wikipedia said.
The Department of Energy's website states that its contingency plan was updated in 2021 (although The White House lists its last update as Sept. 19, 2018). A lapse of appropriations lasting five days or less would not disrupt the Department of Energy, its website said.
“DOE would be able to shut down all non-excepted Federal functions within a half day of exhaustion of available balances, with some exceptions involving the movement of nuclear materials,” the website said. “It will take longer than a half day to shutdown some contractor performed activities in order to protect property.”
As of 2021, there were 13,273 full time equivalent (FTE) workers at the Department of Energy, the “Lapse Plan Summary Overview (as of Sept. 28, 2021)” said. In the event of a lapse, the department would retain 2,890 FTEs whose compensation is funded by something other than annual appropriations, six FTEs who are considered "necessary to the discharge of the president's constitutional duties and powers," and 1,459 FTEs who are considered "necessary to protect life and property."
