A three-day federal government shutdown ended on January 22 after Democratic and Republican lawmakers agreed to once again temporarily extend FY17 spending levels for EPA and other federal agencies. This latest continuing resolution (CR) allows the federal government to continue operations through February 8 – at which time Congress will face another deadline to pass a funding bill or shut down the federal government.
The government shutdown began at midnight on January 19, as Democrats in the Senate followed through on threats to filibuster any stopgap spending legislation that did not offer protections for illegal immigrants who had been brought to the United States as children. Lawmakers engaged in negotiations over the weekend until Senate leaders reached a deal three days later that hinged on a promise by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to quickly bring up legislation addressing the status of these illegal immigrants if a broader immigration policy bill is not agreed to by February 8. With this agreement in place, the Senate voted 81 – 18 on January 22 to end the filibuster of the CR, and both chambers gave final approval to the measure later in the day.
The CR approved by both chambers and signed by President Trump follows the same method as the last several temporary appropriations bills that have kept the government running since the 2018 fiscal year began on October 1. The bill continues funding for EPA at its FY17 level, and carries no unrelated policy riders that are objectionable to either party.
While Congress now has nearly three more weeks to negotiate a comprehensive FY18 federal budget, it is not clear whether lawmakers’ focus will turn to this task, or if it will be overshadowed by work on an overarching immigration policy bill. It is therefore possible that as February 8 approaches Congress will once again have to scramble to keep the government open on a temporary basis.