Congress Passes CR to Fund Federal Government Through FY25

With just hours to spare before a partial shutdown went into effect at midnight on March 15, Congress approved a continuing resolution (CR) that funds the federal government through September 30. While CRs typically extend funding levels from the previous fiscal year spending laws, there are some key changes under the current measure.  For example, the CR includes an increase for defense spending and immigration enforcement. Non-defense spending, however, saw mixed results. Among others are:

• All earmarked projects from fiscal 2024 appropriations were eliminated as well as roughly $16B in earmarked projects that were in included in FY 2025 appropriations bills
• Reduced spending for state and local law enforcement assistant programs
• An extension of FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program until Sept. 30, 2025
• An extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) until Sept. 30, 2025

Although this CR provides funding for the current federal fiscal year, work has yet to begin on FY 2026 funding, which begins on October 1. As that process gets underway, GFOA will provide any updates on potential impact for state and local governments.