Government Shutdown News: Congress Passes Six-month Stopgap

Updated on March 14

Hours before the government was set to shutdown, the Senate approved a House GOP stopgap that extends funding through Sept. 30.

Earlier in the week, the House GOP approved a 99-page stopgap bill to keep the government funded through what will be the rest of the 2024-2025 fiscal year; the start date of the 2025-2026 fiscal year is Oct. 1. It increases defense spending, while bringing down non-defense spending to below its 2024 level. The continuing resolution passed 217-213 and went on to the Senate.

Initially, Senate Democrats said they would not support the continuing resolution. But by Thursday evening, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would vote for the measure and urged fellow Democrats to follow his lead.

Schumer reportedly called the GOP’s bill a “terrible option.” He added, “It is deeply partisan. It doesn’t address far too many of this country’s needs. But I believe allowing Donald Trump to take even much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option.”

On Friday, 66 members of the House Democratic Caucus signed a letter urging Schumer to oppose the continuing resolution. The group argued, “Republicans have continually refused to negotiate in good faith and reject bipartisanship compromise while catering to President Trump and Elon Musk’s extreme agenda to dismantle the federal government from within.”

Later in the day, 10 Senate Democrats joined Republicans to advance the bill and avoid a shutdown. The measure required eight Democrats to vote in favor of the bill to clear the possibility of a filibuster. By Friday evening, the continuing resolution passed 54-46 and headed to President Trump’s desk.

The late funding dramatics have become standard operating procedure for the current House of Representatives, but this round had some new wrinkles, thanks largely to the new administration and GOP control of both houses of Congress. Lawmakers are also in the midst of creating a new budget, which has yet to be finalized.

Before the start of each fiscal year, Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills that fund the government. In September, Congress passed a short-term spending bill that extended funding until midnight on Dec. 20. Then in December, Congress narrowly averted shutting down the government by approving another short-term spending deal to fund the government through March 14. It also extended the farm bill for another year.

Gamesmanship over funding the government has become almost routine. In March 2024, the Senate belatedly approved a $1.2 trillion spending bill for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, narrowly averting a shutdown. Since September 2023, Congress has had to rely repeatedly on last-minute maneuvering and short-term funding stopgaps.

» MORE: How would a government shutdown affect you?

What happened during the 2023-2024 threat of a shutdown?

On March 23, 2024, the Senate finally approved a $1.2 trillion spending bill for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which funded roughly 70% to 80% of the government. Had the Senate failed to approve the package, the lapse would have put nonessential federal workers on furlough without pay during the shut down, but otherwise caused minimal impact to government services. Since September 2023, Congress had to rely repeatedly on last-minute maneuvering to avoid a shutdown.

What is a government shutdown?

When the government shuts down, many federal agencies must suspend all non-essential services. Each federal agency must develop its own contingency plan for shutdowns, which includes employee furloughs and service reductions.

For consumers, a government shutdown could result in various problems and inconveniences. But unless you work for the federal government, a government shutdown might not have an immediate impact on you.

Who is affected by a government shutdown?

• The brunt of the disruption would fall on furloughed government workers. But all federal workers go without pay during a shutdown even if they’re not furloughed. Federal workers are paid retroactively once funding is restored.

• Non-essential services that would be suspended likely include national parks, the Internal Revenue Service’s customer service and Federal Student Aid assistance, although you can still apply for aid.

• Any programs that receive mandatory funding will continue operations. That includes essential services, such as air traffic control, law enforcement, power grid maintenance, in-hospital medical care and border protection, according to the Center for a Responsible Federal Budget.

• If you have travel plans, a shutdown could get in your way.

• It could hamper your homebuying plans if you are trying to get a reverse mortgage or Title I loan insured by the Federal Housing Administration or a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Some essential services will continue, but service may be reduced including:

• Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Checks will continue, but benefit verifications may be suspended. 

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding is mandatory, but benefits may stop altogether after 30 days of a shutdown.

• Food and environmental inspections through the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency would likely be halted or reduced.

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the National Institutes of Health could also see reduced operations.

When was the last government shutdown?

There have been 21 government shutdowns since 1976. The most recent government shutdown was also the longest yet, beginning on Dec. 22, 2018 and lasting until Jan. 25, 2019 — a total of 34 full days. However, most past shutdowns lasted less than a week.

Government shutdowns are costly in more ways than one: The 2018 to 2019 partial shutdown cost $18 billion in federal discretionary spending and reduced Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by $11 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

When Congress passes some but not all of the required appropriations, the result is a partial shutdown.