The House and Senate returned to Washington, D.C., following the August recess with limited time remaining before funding of the federal government expires. There are nine legislative days remaining to prevent a government shutdown and fund Fiscal Year 2025 before current funding – finalized in March of this year – expires.

The House of Representatives was expected to vote on September 11 on a six-month continuing resolution (H.R. 9494) that was linked to a voting restriction bill, however it was not considered due to a lack of support. This bill may return, as congressional leaders look for a path forward. If the measure were to pass the House, this CR would likely not be supported by the Senate because of its inclusion of the SAVE Act (H.R. 8281).

The length of a potential CR is also an issue that needs to be addressed. Some decision makers are supporting a 6-month CR that would punt the funding debate to the 119th Congress and a new administration in the White House. Others desire a shorter-term CR, with a draft bill that would expire on December 13.

Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O’Malley voiced grave concerns to lawmakers about the impact of a 6-month CR on that agency. “If enacted, a six-month CR without any additional funding for the Social Security Administration would be devastating,” O’Malley wrote in a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK). “We would be forced to implement a hiring freeze with minimal exceptions. We would lose over 2,000 staff in the first half of the year alone and reach a new 50-year staffing low by the end of December. We would need to significantly reduce overtime to historically low levels, decreasing processing capacity for our most critical workloads.”

Meanwhile, Senator and Vice Presidential nominee J.D. Vance (R-OH) suggested one strategy is to force a government shutdown if the SAVE Act is not included in a funding package. "Why shouldn’t we be trying to force this government shutdown fight to get something out of it that’s good for the American people?" he said on the Shawn Ryan Show. "Like, why have a government if it’s not a functioning government?"

The House Appropriations Committee passed all 12 appropriations bill, and five of the 12 have passed on the House floor. However, these bills continue to face an uphill climb with concerns lingering in the U.S. Senate and veto threats from the White House.

The House has passed the following appropriations bills:

• Military Construction-VA bill (H.R. 8580), by a vote of 209-197

• Defense appropriations (H.R. 8774) by a vote of 217-198

• Homeland Security (H.R. 8752) by a vote of 212-203

• Department of State-Foreign Operations (H.R. 8771) by a vote of 212-200

• Interior-Environment (H.R. 8998) by a vote of 210-205

President Biden issued a veto threat for all of these spending bills, as passed by the House, based on funding levels and policy disagreements.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved all but one (Homeland Security) of the 12 funding bills. Votes in committee have been strongly bipartisan, with six of the bills passing unanimously. However, strong partisan differences remain on spending levels, and the path forward on the Senate floor remains unclear. Legislators are also wary of taking tough votes in September, which could be used against them in campaign attacks prior to the November 5 elections.