President Trump Signs a Continuing Resolution to Avoid Government Shutdown

On September 29, just before the close of the fiscal year, President Trump signed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government open and running through November 21. The stopgap measure authorizes agencies to continue their work under current FY19 funding levels, and gives policymakers seven additional weeks to pass all appropriations bills and establish new funding levels.

While much of Capitol Hill has been concerned with a whistleblower complaint, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) assured the public that the Senate’s focus remains on the tasks at hand. Mainly funding the government in FY20.

“The business of the American people and the responsibilities of Congress do not pause while the House prepares to formally begin an impeachment inquiry,” Schumer said. “Today, for example, the Senate must pass a continuing resolution to keep the government open through the end of November and give appropriators time to complete the 12 appropriations bills.”

All 12 spending bills still need to be passed for FY20. To date, the full House has passed the majority of the bills, but in the Senate most of the bills have just been passed out of committee. The Senate Appropriations Committee sent five spending bills to the full Senate last week, bringing the total number of spending bills sent to the full Senate to ten. Once the House and Senate pass all their spending bills, they must then come together and reconcile any differences between the chambers’ two versions, before sending the final versions of the bills to the President to sign into law.