Let Your Voice be Heard by Congress; 5 Minute Survey
On Friday, March 14, 2025, the Senate advanced the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (H.R. 1968), a continuing resolution (CR) that funds the federal government until Sept. 30, 2025.
The House advanced the bill 217-213, and the Senate 54-46 The bill now heads to the president for his signature.
The CR is largely an extension of fiscal year (FY) 2024 funding levels, with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimating the bill would set overall funding levels for FY 2025 at $1.6 trillion, with $893 billion for defense and $708 billion for non-defense spending. The measure increases defense spending by $6 billion compared to FY 2024 levels and boosts funding for immigration enforcement, while reducing nondefense spending by $13 billion overall—mainly due to the removal of earmarks. The measure also includes smaller shifts in funding between appropriations titles with Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies (-$0.1 billion), Legislative Branch (-$0.1 billion), Military Construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies (-$7.3 billion), and Transportation, Housing, Urban Development and Related Agencies (-$3.1 billion) experiencing minor decreases in funding. The remainder of the titles have minor increases in funding compared to FY 2024 levels. Importantly, the CR claws back another $20.2 billion in Internal Revenue Service (IRS) funding and extends expiring health provisions and several other programs.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) released the CR text on March 8, quickly gaining support from President Trump, who urged Republicans to vote in favor of the measure. The House advanced the bill on March 11 and adjourned, leaving it to the Senate, where Republicans needed to secure at least eight Democratic votes to reach the 60-vote majority required for passage. However, Senate Democrats struggled to unify around a single strategy, with some opposed and others willing to vote in favor of the CR in exchange for a vote on a four-week alternative that would extend the deadline to April 11. Ultimately, 10 Democrats voted to invoke cloture in a 62-38 vote, lowering the threshold for the final vote to a simple majority. Four amendments – offered by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Rand Paul (R-KY) – were rejected, with the Democrat’s four-week alternative not among those put to a vote.
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