Timeline:
Update: March 15 – President Trump signed the continuing resolution into law.
March 14 – The Senate passed the continuing resolution.
March 11 – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution to temporarily fund the federal government and cut domestic federal spending
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A continuing resolution, also known as a “CR” or a “stop gap” measure, allows for the federal government to continue normal operations when the formal appropriations process – through which government spending is allocated by Congress – has not been completed. The continuing resolution needed to pass and be signed into law by March 14, 2025 in order to fund continuing government operations.
H.R. 1968 will allow for federal operations to continue for another 6 months, until September. Typically, a “clean” continuing resolution would just hold current government spending levels steady, providing for more time for the full appropriations process to continue. However, H.R. 1968 would also:
- Make changes to current spending levels, with an increase in defense spending of $6 billion, and $13 billion in cuts to domestic spending.
- Give the Trump administration significantly more leeway to spend federal dollars without Congressional approval.
- Would prevent any member of Congress from attempting to terminate President Trump’s recent declaration of national emergencies over immigration and the U.S. border, which he has used to impose large, broad-based tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China.