The House of Representatives passed their Continuing Resolution (CR) to the fund the government through September 30th on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in a mostly party-line 217-213 vote. Representative Golden (D-ME) was the only House Democrat to vote for the bill and Representative Massie (R-KY) was the only House Republican to vote against it.
Later in the week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) indicated that he would vote for cloture on the CR, the procedural step that ends debate and overcomes the filibuster, allowing a vote on a bill in the Senate. Despite massive public outcry, ten Democratic Senators in total voted yes for cloture, allowing the CR to move forward and ultimately pass in the Senate. The President signed the bill into law over the weekend, averting a government shutdown.
The CR strips out billions of dollars’ worth of nondefense-related earmarks, cutting funding for thousands of projects for lawmakers in both parties, including nearly $40M in projects under the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Additional targeted cuts and recissions, such as cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) add up to a $13 billion to nondefense funding over last year, while defense spending would get a small boost in funding.
The bill does not include an assurance that the Administration must spend the funding as directed, which Democratic lawmakers are insisting is necessary given the activity and cuts being made by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The bill does include some anomalies that will protect programs for families and individuals with low incomes. The Department of Housing and Urban Development would get around $4.5 billion extra to maintain current services for families that might otherwise lose rental assistance. The Agriculture Department would receive additional funds to prevent families in line for Special Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program aid from being wait-listed, as well as more money for delivery of food packages to low-income seniors and for food safety inspections.
The CR had also included severe cuts to the Washington, D.C. budget; the Senate passed a bill to restore this funding to the city, and the President endorsed the bill. The House is on recess and will need to take up the bill when they return. In her statement, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) characterized this cut as a “mistake.” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) has also endorsed this fix.
