Congress Faces September Deadline to Fund the Government—What to Know

Congress does not appear on track to pass 12 annual spending bills by the Sept. 30 deadline.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) (L) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) listen during remarks at a Capitol Menorah lighting ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Dec. 12, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

For much of 2023 and early 2024, Congress was focused on one issue: appropriations. Twelve bills to fund all parts of the federal government were supposed to be passed by Sept. 30, 2023. Yet Congress missed that deadline and three subsequent extensions to pass the bills. To avoid a government shutdown, it instead passed continuing resolutions (CRs) to temporarily fund the government and give itself more time to act.

These CRs attracted intense criticism, and the first CR prompted the House of Representatives to remove its speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), from office. The process was eventually completed on March 23, nearly six months later than required.