Former Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen (R-IL) reportedly once said, “a billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.” In recent years, untold billions have been squandered each year due to continuing resolutions (CRs).

Most recently, on November 21, Congress finalized, and President Trump signed another continuing resolution (CR) into law. The second CR of Fiscal Year 2020, this one funds the federal government through December 20, 2019.

Six federal employees were recognized Oct. 16 as outstanding examples of federal service and recipients of the Partnership for Public Service’s Samuel J. Heyman Service to American Medals.

“Our nation’s health and safety depend in significant measure on the work of career civil servants, who are largely unknown to the American people,” said Max Stier, president and CEO of the Partnership for Public Service, in a news release. “We are working to change that with our Service to America Medals, which are designed to showcase the remarkable work taking place every day on behalf of all of us. When we have a great workforce, we get big problems fixed.”

The Senate on Thursday afternoon sent a seven-week continuing resolution to the president’s desk, delaying the possibility of another government shutdown until Nov. 21.

The measure passed the Senate with a 82-15 vote. The CR would fund agencies at 2019 levels through Nov. 21, buying lawmakers more time to negotiate over several full-year appropriations bills. The House overwhelmingly cleared the bill last week.

Officials with groups that represent federal employees applauded President Trump’s decision last week to end his quest to implement a pay freeze for civilian federal workers, but said his proposed 2020 raise is not enough.

Last week, Trump surprised many by announcing an alternative pay plan that would provide federal civilian employees with a 2.6% across-the-board raise next year. The plan, which is issued each year to avoid much higher automatic pay increases under the Federal Employee Pay Comparability Act, marked a reversal from the White House's fiscal 2020 budget proposal, which advocated freezing federal employee pay at 2019 levels.