Talks Continue as Congress has not Resolved FY23 Budget or Continuing Resolution

Congress appears to be at an impasse, at the moment, over the annual government spending bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, with just days to go before a 12/16 government shutdown deadline. The Continuing Resolution (CR) that is currently in place to fund the Federal government expires at midnight on 12/16. CRs are becoming an annual fire drill lately.

Congress started a long weekend break on Thursday, 12/8, without an agreement on a top-line figure for the appropriations package to pay for government operations. The news reports indicate that the two sides are about $26 billion apart out of overall spending of roughly $1.7 trillion. Democrats are seeking to break the logjam by releasing their own draft on Monday, but most lawmakers expect Congress will be forced to pass a one-week CR extension to give both sides a few more days to cut a deal. But that one-week extension could be extended again.