Sep 18, 2024 - Politics & Policy
How many times Congress has been late to fund the government
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
It has been 27 years and counting since the four corners of congressional leadership managed to do one of their most important jobs on time — fully fund the federal government through appropriation bills.
Why it matters: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) aren't even talking about passing full spending bills right now — they're haggling over how to punt the issue down the road and avoid a shutdown with a stopgap measure.
- Congress is on track to pass zero out of 12 appropriations bills to fund the government by the Oct. 1 deadline. It would be the sixth year in a row.
- The last time every appropriations bill got passed on time, Bill Clinton was president. To be fair, it has only happened four times in the 50 years of the current budgeting system.
By the numbers: The House has passed five of its funding bills for FY2025, according to data from Congressional Research Service.
- That amounts to 70% of federal funding for the year, a spokesman for the speaker noted.
- Senate committees have passed their versions of every appropriations bill except for Homeland Security. None have received a vote on the Senate floor.
