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CONGRESS EXTENDS CONTINUING RESOLUTION THROUGH DEC. 18, 2009
Rebecca Neal
Congress approved a continuing resolution Thursday that will fund agencies at 2009 budget levels until Dec. 18.
Democratic leaders attached the CR to the conference report for the Interior and environment spending bill because Congress has still not passed seven of its 12 fiscal 2010 spending bills. Agencies without approved budgets have been operating since Oct. 1 under a CR, which expires Oct. 31.
Democratic leaders say they’ll still push to pass all 12 spending bills individually but acknowledged doing so will be difficult as Congress prepares to take up health care reform. Republicans said the CR opens the door for Congress to bundle the spending bills in an omnibus bill in order to finish all 12 bills by Dec. 18.
Congress has now passed five spending bills: Agriculture, Energy and water, Homeland Security, Interior and environment, and the legislative branch. President Barack Obama has signed all but the Interior bill, and he’s expected to sign that before the current CR expires.