Congress passes continuing resolution, avoids another shutdown threat
Washington, D.C. (CNN) - Congress passed a temporary spending measure on Thursday that will keep the federal government funded and open for business until December 16. The continuing resolution was necessary because the federal government is set to run out of money by midnight Friday.
The House passed the measure by a vote of 298-121 Thursday afternoon, and the Senate followed suit Thursday evening, passing the measure 70-30.
The measure was passed as part of a larger spending bill for a number of government agencies for fiscal 2012 - including the Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration, the Transportation Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, among others.
Overall spending levels in the new measure conform to the outlines of an agreement reached in Congress earlier this year.
The previous continuing resolution was enacted October 5 as part of a deal providing an additional $2.65 billion in disaster relief needed in the wake of Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and a series of tornadoes and wildfires.
In addition to early October, partial government shutdowns were also threatened during budget talks in the spring and the debt ceiling debate over the summer.
The short-term funding measures are necessary because Congress has failed to complete its full budget appropriations process, which has become a victim of sharp partisan divisions over spending priorities.
The last extension was intended to provide more time to debate and pass spending measures covering the remainder of fiscal year 2012. It's been over 15 years, however, since both chambers of Congress passed the full range of such bills.
Instead, Congress has relied on other ways to extend spending authority, such as continuing resolutions or so-called "omnibus" measures that bundle together multiple appropriations bills.
- CNN's Alan Silverleib contributed to this report.
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This is time for spending on Infrastructure, Public Transportation, Energy etc, not worry on deficit...o.k,
No budget means constant continuing resolutions. If the republicans do not want to help the nation why don't they hold out to get a real budget.
unbelievable! Congress took more days off on vacation than doing their jobs. The only time they are working if money throw into their pockets or the deadline is getting close. Congress and Wall Streets are like marriage.
With them not passing a budget, it makes the federal employees have to worry about not having a job. Every month I continue to worry about having a job.
And when that date arrives there will be another 'temporary' resolution because these bickering children are incapable of getting anything done.
They should not be allowed to keep voting for these extensions. They do not do any good and only seem to put them further behind. Why is it that the only thing both parties can seem to agree on is that they should have all the time in the world to complete the they were hired for? If I pulled that with my job, I wouldn't have one.
Obama should veto this temporary spending bill and tell congress to do thier job and pass a long term bill!! If they
will not do thier job, then we can replace them and find someone who will do the job they were elected to do!!
As long as the Republicans want draconian cuts in important programs and elimination of government agencies as a trade for passing reasonable legislation, there will be no real solution. Not until they are seriously outnumbered. That will come in November 2012.
The Government should be worrying only about price stability right now.
Inflation is at 3% for the last year. That is unacceptable.
Cut spending, and redo the Federal Reserve's mandate so that their only concern is price stability.
it's ridiculous that these elected officials can't do their jobs
I know – let's pass a law that Congress doesn't get paid unless they do their job in a timely manner!
Looks like they learned their lesson with the debt ceiling debacle in August. Let's hope.
I like the idea of cleaning house and starting over. I wonder if there is a Federal form of the Referendum that the states have?
The Republicans tend to gain points with their voters by supporting initiatives to destroy the American infrastructure and reduce our stature in the world arena. Can the Congress actually do anything? It's time for large-scale recall elections for every obsturctionist in Congress. Start with Speaker Boehner.
Time to elect some moderates. Time to get rid of anyone that says that anything is off the table. Time to get rid of anyone that has signed a "pledge" of any kind.
They are just nursing things along and waiting for the presidental elections. They could care less about the average americans. Its lobbyist and the rich 1 percent who are ruining the country-its disgusting.
If you or I failed to do our jobs, we would be fired for it. What do you think the chances are of that happening to Congress after they have repeatedly failed to do their jobs? Virtually none...
I suspect they came to an agreement because they think that by December 16, all the Occupy protesters will have faded back into obscurity and people will pay attention to their political grandstanding again.
We would not be in this economic situation if I could vote myself more money when I ran out.
Maybe we should threaten to hold their pay until they pass a jobs bill that will put citizens back to work. Oh wait. they would starve to death.
Getting close to Thanksgiving Break...More Important?
Congress is absolutely worthless.
so Congress did something right for once..
What happened to congressmen having guts and a sense of responsibility to accomplish somthing difficult? It seems that procrastination and doing only the bare minimum are the name of the game now...
They need to not provide any funding for the Department of Energy, Education, and, well, what is that third one, oh crap its on the tip of my tongue, great gobs of gopher gravy anyone out there know what other department I would shut down..
Oh yes, it commerce, I knew I would think of it.