Congress Passes, President Signs, Second FY2023 Continuing Resolution

On December 16, President Biden signed a short-term Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Continuting Resolution (CR) that funds the government through Friday December 23. The legislation was needed because Congress remains unable to finalize FY2023 appropriations before the expiration of the first FY2023 CR that was passed by Congress last September. The short-term CR was approved by the Senate the previous day by a vote of 71-19,  following the House of Representatives passage of the measure  by a vote of 224-201.

The one week extension gives Congressional negotiators another week to try to finalize FY2023 appropriations before Congress adjourns. If negotiators are unable to reach agreement on FY2023 appropriations, Congress would likely need to pass another CR, and leaving it to the new Congress to finalize FY2023 spending when it returns in early January. Alternatively, Congress could decide to pass a full-year CR for FY2023, although this is widely considered to be the least desired option.  Reports indicate that negotiators are making progress on an Omnibus FY2023 appropriations bill, and that the extra week will be enough time to finalize the massive spending bill which would fund all government operations.