February 26, 2024: Four days until a shutdown, four options for Congress
On Friday, March 1, funding runs out for federal agencies and programs financed by the Agriculture-FDA, Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD appropriations bills. Funding for the rest of the government expires on March 8. Appropriators said they’d unveil a deal on the first funding tranche this past weekend, but that didn’t happen. Here’s why.
What’s the holdup?
Reporting indicates House Republicans are insisting that any FY2024 funding deal contains certain far-right policies. For the bills expiring Friday, that includes cuts to agriculture programs, limits on foods and drinks SNAP recipients can buy, and a ban on mailing abortion medication—a policy fellow Republicans already rejected. Remember: Democratic votes will be necessary to get FY2024 funding bills through Congress, and Democrats will not vote for bills that include extreme GOP-backed policies—for more on why, see our February 12 update.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has accused Democrats of making last-minute demands—specifically, extra funding to provide moms and babies with food aid through the WIC program, which feeds about half of all infants born in the U.S. However, the White House requested extra WIC funding in August, and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro has continually called the WIC boost “nonnegotiable.” The Speaker is also reportedly seeking additional border security after rejecting border policy changes negotiated in the Senate just weeks ago.
Where can Congress go from here?
Option #1: A partial shutdown. If neither party budges, the programs and agencies governed by the four bills expiring Friday will shut down. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer described a shutdown’s potential impacts, including travel delays, rent spikes, and higher food prices. Remember: if history is any indication, Republicans will eventually agree to end that shutdown without securing their demands, as we explained in our February 12 update.
Option # 2: A deal. President Biden will meet House and Senate leaders tomorrow regarding the current impasse. While these talks may yield an agreement, Congress may not have sufficient time to get that agreement over the finish line by midnight on Friday—which would necessitate…
Option #3: A short-term CR. Even if lawmakers break their stalemate, they may need another short-term continuing resolution (CR) to finalize funding bills. Speaker Johnson has said he won’t move more short-term CRs…before moving a short-term CR. So, if a deal is in sight, he may be willing to let another brief stopgap through the House to buy extra time. Lawmakers are reportedly mulling an extension to March 22. Remember, Congress cannot kick the can indefinitely without consequences: massive, indiscriminate cuts will go into effect if any short-term CR remains in place past April 30. See our December 12 update for more details.
Option #4: A year-long CR. If the final deal doesn’t include far-right policy riders, Freedom Caucus members are urging Speaker Johnson to support a year-long CR. This would force huge funding cuts to programs and services communities depend on—see our December 12 update for more. Both Democratic and GOP appropriators have criticized this option.
We’ll keep you in the loop as Congress’ next steps become clear.
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