Congress has passed another short-term funding measure that prevents a partial government shutdown over the weekend. We are urging lawmakers to pass full-year funding bills so that federal workers can focus on their work and don’t have to worry about whether they’re going to get locked out of work or have to work without pay.
The Senate and House last week passed a two-tiered funding measure that keeps federal agencies running through March 1 and March 8.
Funding for departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development is maintained through March 1. Funding for the rest of the government, which were set to run out on Feb. 2, will now be extended through March 8.
Congressional leaders said the measure is needed to give them more time to pass a full-year funding bill. This was the third time that they had to pass a short-term measure since the beginning of the new fiscal year.
Repeated threats of a federal government shutdown have caused extraordinary disruption in agencies since as employees have been diverted from regular duties to plan for contingencies in the event of a funding lapse. These threats have also caused enormous stress and anxiety for federal families still reeling from the historic 35-day shutdown that ended in 2019.
Majorities of Americans are with us. In a recent survey, 75% supported keeping the government open while 67% said it’s never a good idea to shut down the government. Some 82% favor raising taxes on rich and corporations instead of spending cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare.
“Short-term funding will not solve the problem, just kick the can down the road. The only true solution is a bipartisan spending package to fund departments and agencies through the end of the fiscal year,” said AFGE President Everett Kelley.
Meanwhile, Congress is considering the Fiscal Commission Act of 2023, H.R. 5779, that would give a small group of lawmakers and non-elected individuals enormous power to recommend cuts to Social Security and other popular programs without any ability for the public to weigh in. There is a danger this will be added to full-year funding for fiscal 2024. Learn more about the fiscal commission in this story: AFGE Joins 116 House Lawmakers in Rejecting Fiscal Commission to Slash Social Security Benefits
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