A Not-So-Clean Continuing Resolution for Foreign Policy

Updated April 11, 2025

Author: Mariam Malik, Senior Foreign Policy Associate

Introduction

On March 15, 2025, President Trump signed H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, into law as Public Law No. 119-4. This law is called a “Continuing Resolution” (CR), a stopgap spending bill that keeps the government running at current spending levels. This CR expires on September 30, 2025, the end of the fiscal year. 

A CR typically extends current government funding levels. However, this CR  increases spending for the Pentagon and immigration enforcement, while decreasing funds for the non-defense discretionary budget (NDD)—meaning housing, healthcare, education, climate, labor, and more. 

Specifically, this CR provides $1.6 trillion in total federal discretionary spending—$893 billion for the Pentagon and $708 billion for NDD. Compared to FY2024, this CR cuts NDD by $13 billion and boosts Pentagon spending by $6 billion. This CR is the latest in a long line of spending bills that have boosted Pentagon spending and cut spending for human needs. 

These changes occur amid expectations of even more money for weapons in the near future. Before the CR vote, Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker said, "Were it not for the prospect of a reconciliation bill that adds $150 billion for vital national security purposes, I could not vote for the continuing resolution as it is.” Since this CR became law, the Trump Administration has said it will seek a $1 trillion Pentagon budget for FY2026.

This explainer examines key foreign policy spending provisions and policy changes in the CR. It is not exhaustive and does not discuss foreign policy spending developments outside the CR, such as the ongoing foreign aid freeze.

Pentagon Spending & Policies

The CR provides significant funding for deadly weapons systems, including $33.3 billion to the Navy for shipbuilding.

$3.6 billion for the Virginia-class attack submarine, plus an additional $3.7 billion for procurement.

The Virginia-class attack submarine is for “undersea warfare” and is capable of deploying cruise missiles at great speed. It also is used for surveillance. It costs $4.5 billion to build one submarine, plus an additional $1 billion for related materials and equipment. Currently, the program is $17 billion over budget and is delayed by 410 months, meaning the Pentagon is spending far more on the program than initially projected—including over $7 billion in this CR.

$3.4 billion for the Columbia-class nuclear submarine, plus an additional $6.2 billion for procurement.

The Columbia-class nuclear submarine is a nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine that is expected to cost at least $139 billion, $12 billion more than the Pentagon originally planned for. General Dynamics, the weapons manufacturer that received the contract to develop this submarine, has repeatedly run into development delays and cost overruns, with taxpayers footing the bill. The program is 18 months behind schedule. Despite these setbacks, this CR will continue to give the Pentagon money for this nuclear weapons platform, while cutting vital funds for human needs. 

No New Start

“No new start” provisions are common in CRs. They prevent federal agencies from initiating new programs before a spending bill for the next fiscal year is in place and require agencies to focus spending on existing programs being funded at current levels (in this case, FY2024 levels). 

However, this CR does not have a “no new start” provision. This means that the Pentagon can now initiate entirely new weapons programs, which could needlessly create more deadly weapons and direct more taxpayer dollars to weapons manufacturers. Moreover, Elon Musk’s unprecedented role in the Trump Administration could enable him to enrich his companies with new Pentagon contracts because of the absence of this provision.

Servicemembers

The CR increases funding for military personnel accounts by $171.4 billion. However, this boost does not include funding for Tricare military health programs, failing to address health care funding for our troops and their families. The CR provides a 14.5% pay increase for junior troops and a 4.5% increase for other personnel.

Immigration

The CR also significantly increases funding for President Trump’s militarized immigration enforcement and strips away critical guardrails that allow Congress to ensure funds are used as directed. These provisions will exacerbate the Trump Administration’s inhumane and unconstitutional attacks on immigrants.

Specifically, the CR provides an additional nearly $500 million for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), bringing the total ICE budget to nearly $10 billion. It also maintains Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) annual budget at over $16 billion. Funding for ICE and CBP has nearly tripled in the last twenty years, enabling the sprawling infrastructure for mass detention, targeted arrests, and large-scale removals.

This increased funding for militarized immigration enforcement comes as the Trump administration has already spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to illegally detain U.S. citizens, green card holders,  children, and students, as well as expand detention of immigrants in Guantánamo and fly people to El Salvador without due process. The administration has also expanded ICE’s sprawling detention network,while hiding information about how taxpayer dollars are being used. Additional funding, with reduced Congressional oversight, will further fuel cruel and unlawful enforcement actions, which have led to hospitalizations, family separations, the detention of domestic violence survivors, deaths in detention, and other harms.

Afghanistan and Special Immigrant Visas (SIV)

SIV applicants are people who supported the U.S.’ 20-year military occupation and diplomatic mission in Afghanistan. They provided interpretation services, geographical knowledge, support for military operations, such as flying attack helicopters and combat operations, and more. 

In exchange for their support, they and their families were promised a visa to move to the U.S. Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, many of these SIV applicants have been in limbo. 

During House consideration of the CR, the House Budget Committee removed a provision that would have increased the cap on SIV applicants by 20,000. Congress must allocate visas for the SIV program annually. According to Afghans for a Better Tomorrow, there are about 10,000 visas remaining, which are expected to run out this year.

At least 140,000 Afghans remain in the pipeline and are eligible for relocation through this program, with over 50,000 already near or at the approval stage for their relocation, according to Afghans for a Better Tomorrow. Even with visas to relocate to the U.S. soon, applicants could be categorically barred from entry under an impending Muslim travel ban, part of Executive Order 14161.

The failure to allocate additional SIV slots in the CR increases the risks to Afghan applicants' safety, as they are targets under the Taliban de facto authorities. Additionally, while the SIV program is under attack, USAID cancelled all contracts for Afghanistan-related work, including life-saving programs that will hurt millions of Afghans who are food insecure or starving.

State-Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPS)

SFOPS funds activities at the State Department, including diplomacy and humanitarian assistance. The CR increases SFOPS funding from $55.8 billion in FY2024 to $56.8 billion. Despite this roughly $1 billion increase, there are some notable cuts, such as reducing the budget for international peacekeeping activities by $200 million.

Nuclear Weapons

The CR will increase funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s “weapons activities” while decreasing nonproliferation funding, which keeps nuclear weapons and materials out of the hands of dangerous actors.

Specifically, the CR cut $185 million from the already insufficient nonproliferation budget of $2.6 billion and added it to the excessive $19.1 billion allocated for new nuclear weapons. This means less nuclear security and an increase in enhanced nuclear weapons.

Israel

Since October 2023, Israel has used U.S. weapons to kill over 50,000 Palestinians, with medical experts estimating a true death toll of over 186,000 as of July 2024. Despite findings that Israel has committed war crimes—including attacks on health care facilities, schools, journalists, and aid workers—this CR includes provisions that will expand U.S. military and financial support to Israel.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

In 2016, President Barack Obama signed an MOU with the government of Israel to provide Israel with $3.8 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars annually from FY2019 to FY2028 ($38 billion total). The CR extends this MOU to September 30, 2030. 

Previously, the MOU was codified into law via the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which typically passes after a months-long review process. In contrast, this CR became law just five days after its introduction, giving lawmakers little time to consider its provisions’ implications. 

Expansion of the War Reserve Stockpile Allies - Israel (WRSA-I)

The CR extends DOD’s authority to transfer an additional $1.5 billion worth of U.S. weapons from the WRSA-I to Israel from FY2027 to FY2029 ($500 million per year). The WRSA-I is a stockpile of U.S. weapons located in Israel. Only the DOD has the authority to transfer the weapons in this stockpile, while Congress controls the total value of the weapons transferred. Under this CR, the DOD has an expanded authority to transfer an additional $1.5 billion—risking further deaths caused by U.S. weapons.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Center thanks Afghans for a Better Tomorrow, Friends Committee on National Legislation, National Immigrant Justice Center, and Union of Concerned Scientists for their comments and insights contributing to this explainer.