What is a continuing resolution?
A continuing resolution is a temporary appropriations measure passed by the United States Congress that extends government funding, typically at existing or slightly adjusted levels, for a set period, used to prevent or end a government shutdown when regular annual appropriations bills have not yet been enacted.
Last reviewed . Not yet independently reviewed.
Core tenets
- Temporary extension of existing funding
- A continuing resolution generally continues funding at current levels for government operations, rather than establishing new spending priorities.
- Bridges the gap to regular appropriations
- It is intended as a stopgap measure, giving Congress additional time to complete work on the regular annual appropriations bills.
- Requires the same passage process as any law
- Like other legislation, a continuing resolution must pass both chambers of Congress and be signed by the president, or be enacted over a veto.
How it works in practice
Continuing resolutions have become an increasingly routine part of the federal budget process, sometimes used repeatedly within a single fiscal year.
- Short-term continuing resolution
- Extends funding for a period of days or weeks, often used to allow additional negotiating time just before a funding deadline.
- Full-year continuing resolution
- Extends funding for an entire fiscal year, effectively serving as the year's appropriations rather than a true stopgap.
What it is often confused with
A continuing resolution is often confused with an omnibus bill; a continuing resolution generally extends existing funding levels temporarily, while an omnibus bill combines full-year appropriations bills for final passage.
Criticisms and debates
Criticism of continuing resolutions centers on their increasingly routine use as a substitute for completing the regular appropriations process.
Budget-process critique
Argues that repeated reliance on continuing resolutions reflects a breakdown of the regular annual appropriations process, freezing agencies at prior-year funding levels regardless of changing needs.
Response: Defenders note that a continuing resolution, even an imperfect substitute for full appropriations, is preferable to a shutdown, and that it keeps agencies funded while negotiations continue.
Planning-uncertainty critique
Contends that agencies operating under short-term continuing resolutions face difficulty planning longer-term programs and contracts, given uncertainty about eventual full-year funding levels.
Response: Some in Congress argue this uncertainty is a deliberate consequence intended to pressure timely completion of full appropriations bills.
Historical examples
- Fiscal year 2024 continuing resolutions, United States
- Congress passed multiple continuing resolutions to extend funding while regular appropriations bills remained unfinished.
Sources
- 1.Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.
- 2.Congressional Research Service. Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Practices.
- 3.Encyclopaedia Britannica. Continuing resolution.