Continuing Resolution Sleight-of-Hand, Why Won’t Congress Pass a Real Budget?

Members of Congress are once again working to pass a continuing resolution before the December 20 deadline in order to avert a threatened shutdown of parts of the federal government.

However, continuing resolutions are not the same thing as an approved budget and allow for congressional bad spending habits to continue without the necessary accountability and oversight that should accompany federal spending.

Nobody seems to understand…

There hasn’t been an approved budget in years.

There’s no way to control spending if we don’t get off the continuing resolution conveyor belt.

That’s it. That’s the answer. Make them pass a budget.

They won’t, and without it everything is talk. https://t.co/YtYba1AOlm

— Richard Marshall (@RichWr4u) December 16, 2024

Continuing resolutions are often portrayed as emergency spending bills that must be passed to avert a government shutdown but the rush to push them through can lead to unwise and unnecessary spending.

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) warns that he won’t be voting for the funding bill if it is being crafted “in the dark and under cover,” asking, “Do you know what’s in the continuing resolution to fund the government? Neither do we.”

One of the dangers of continuing resolutions is that it can fund pre-existing appropriations at the same levels as the previous year, even if the program has expired.

Economist Mike O’Donnell says that has left what he calls “zombie programs” operating without congressional oversight to the tune of $516 billion dollars this year.

When Congress uses a continuing resolution it funds pre-existing appropriations at the same levels as in the previous year EVEN IF A PROGRAM HAS EXPIRED. The CBO tracks these “zombie” programs which operate without Congressional oversight & will cost $516 billion this year. Nice! pic.twitter.com/j0Y0Mz51bT

— Mike O’Donnell (@modonnell) December 16, 2024

Axios reports that lawmakers are in negotiations to pass a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government into March but have yet to reach agreement.

A government shutdown of certain non-essential departments could result if Congress fails to pass the stopgap spending bill.

According to The Hill, the window for passage of a continuing resolution is narrowing due to the U.S. House’s 72-hour rule which requires the legislation to be passed in the next couple of days to give the House and Senate time to act on it.

The wrangling to avoid a possible partial government shutdown has the kind of high drama that gives the appearance that something of great importance is happening but if Congress simply kicks the can down the road in order to avoid accountability, it will only signify that lawmakers have chosen to continue its unaccountable spending.