Federal Managers Association

Press Release

• FMA Statement on Passage of a Short-Term CR to Avert a Government Shutdown - October 3, 2023

• Alexandria, VA – President Joe Biden signed a Continuing Resolution (CR) into law on Saturday, September 30, narrowly averting a government shutdown and keeping government open through November 17, 2023. Federal Managers Association (FMA) National President Craig Carter made the following comments on the passage of the legislation:

  "We at FMA are relieved that Congress averted a shutdown, even if only at the last minute. Under a shutdown, many of our members, and federal employees across the country, would be told to stay home. Not only would services be delayed or cancelled, but communities suffer as furloughed employees are unable to spend money in their local economies.

  "In recent weeks, federal managers have been preparing for a potential shutdown, wasting precious time and resources. Delaying appropriations and flirting with government shutdowns results in egregious costs and waste, even if a shutdown is averted. It takes significant time and resources for agencies to prepare for a potential shutdown. Private sector businesses would never manage their budgets this way, and neither should Congress.

  “We support the CR, in lieu of a shutdown, yet I want to reiterate that working under a CR is also incredibly costly to the budget and results in harmful waste to the country. By not appropriating funds, and working under a CR every year, this causes extra costs to agencies having to work under the previous year’s budget, and does not allow agencies proper planning opportunities, including being able to buy equipment and supplies in bulk to save money. This results in lost resources and man hours we can never recover, and billions of wasted taxpayer dollars. We urge Congress to come together and provide full Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations for the good of the country.”

##