President Signs Short Term Spending Bill; Government Shutdown Averted...for Now

3/4/11: On Thursday the President signed a short term spending bill that will keep the government running for two more weeks after the current funding measure was set to expire on Friday, March 4. 

The measure, known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), cuts roughly $4 billion in discretionary spending while extending funding authority for the government by two weeks, from March 4 until March 18. Many of the cuts in the spending measure will be to earmarks and to programs, many of which are supported by the Administration, and thus enjoyed bipartisan support and easy passage.

The CR was originally passed by the Republican-controlled House, and the Democratic-controlled Senate subsequently approved it, thus averting a government shutdown.

The two-week extension will provide House and Senate leaders a short amount of time to work out an agreement on a comprehensive funding measure that will cover the remainder of FY 2011. Going forward, House and Senate Democratic leaders have vowed to oppose the draconian cuts included in the earlier House passed FY 2011 funding bill (HR 1) that would have a devastating impact on the ability of NTEU represented agencies to accomplish their missions and deliver services to the public. Vice President Biden has been meeting with the leadership of both houses to discuss a possible compromise, but the two sides remain far apart.

You can be assured that we will continue working with our supporters in the House and Senate in the coming days to ensure any long term funding measure does not jeopardize the ability of federal agencies to perform their critical missions.