The federal budget appropriations process has become a bit like the movie Groundhog Day. In the movie, Bill Murray tries and fails, over and over, to fix a vital something he keeps getting wrong. In his case, it’s romance. The stakes are a little higher for Congress, which keeps getting within mere hours of the federal fiscal year-end on September 30 with none of the 12 appropriations bills passed by both chambers. As a result, Congress needs to rely on multiple funding patches to buy time to negotiate a deal, while both sides of the aisle simultaneously try to shout louder about who is to blame.
- Publication date: February 2024
- Author: Sydney Davis