This is the fifth time since September that lawmakers have run up against a funding deadline, passing stopgap bills in the nick of time in September, November, January and earlier this month to keep the government running.
In September, President Joe Biden signed the short-term funding bill passed by Congress, averting a government shutdown ahead of a midnight deadline. The bill kept the government open through November 17 and included natural disaster aid but not additional funding for Ukraine or border security.
Then in November, the Senate passed a stopgap bill to keep the government open that created two new shutdown deadlines in January and February, an unusual two-step approach to funding the government.
The bill extended funding until January 19 for priorities including military construction, veterans’ affairs, transportation, housing and the Energy Department. The rest of the government – anything not covered by the first step – would be funded until February 2. The proposal did not include additional aid for Israel or Ukraine.
In January, lawmakers passed the two-step, short-term funding extension setting up a pair of new deadlines on March 1 and March 8.
The two-step plan passed in January extended funding through March 1 for parts of the federal government including military construction and the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation and Energy. The rest of the government – anything not covered by the first step – was funded through March 8.
Then earlier this month, Congress passed a first slate of government funding bills ahead of another partial deadline at the end of the day on March 22, providing funding for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Interior, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development as well as the Food and Drug Administration, military construction and other federal programs.
Funding for the remaining departments and agencies expires at the end of the today.