Blue Dogs Push for End to Budgeting by Continuing Resolution

February 4, 2020 by Dan McCue
Blue Dogs Push for End to Budgeting by Continuing Resolution
In this Jan. 22, 2020 file photo, night falls on the Capitol, in Washington. For many Americans, how they feel about issues raised during President Donald Trump's impeachment has much to do with where they get their news. That's among the findings of a study out Friday, Jan. 24, by the Pew Research Center. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON – The Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats Monday called for an end to federal budgeting by temporary, continuing resolution, throwing their support behind a measure requiring Congress to pass all appropriations bills on time.

H.R. 5226, the Funding Deadline Enforcement Act, would prevent House and Senate members from using official congressional funds to travel if they miss the annual Oct. 1 deadline to send all appropriations bills to the president’s desk for a signature.

Instead, Congress would be forced to remain in session until they reach a new, full-year funding agreement for the fiscal year in question.

The legislation was introduced by Blue Dog member, Rep. Joe Cunningham, of South Carolina, who said, “at a time when Congress can barely keep the lights on—relying on short-term funding extensions and looming government shutdowns—it’s impossible to prioritize the smart, responsible budgeting necessary to get our skyrocketing debt under control.”

“Ending the practice of continuing resolutions is necessary to ensure a fiscally responsible federal budget and prevent our armed forces and veterans from being harmed by budget uncertainty,” he said. “This commonsense legislation would prevent Congress from leaving before the job is done and delivers on the promise we made to get our fiscal house in order.”

H.R. 5226 is similar to the Blue Dog-backed No Budget, No Pay Act, in that it provides a mechanism for punishing Congress should members of one or both chambers fail to fulfill their fiscal commitments.

The Constitution grants Congress the power of the purse and endows Congress with the sole responsibility to raise revenue and appropriate money to fund the federal government. In recent years, Cunningham and others say, Congress has abdicated that duty and relied on CRs, which freeze federal spending at the previous year’s levels and are only intended to prevent an even worse result, a government shutdown.

Since Fiscal Year 1997, an average of at least five CRs have been signed into law each fiscal year before the appropriations process was completed for that year.

“As a mayor, I passed a balanced budget each year with bipartisan support,” said Rep. Ben McAdams, of Utah, co-chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility & Government Reform.

“The choices leading up to it were sometimes difficult, but that’s part of the job of a public servant in charge of spending taxpayer dollars. This measure helps enforce that we complete and pass our funding bills by the October 1st deadline, as required,” McAdams said.

Rep. Ed Case, of Hawaii, co-chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility & Government Reform, said it’s high time Congress face real consequences if it can’t fund the government on time.

“A government funded on endless unpredictable continuing resolutions negatively impacts critical programs such as national defense, creates economic and financial uncertainty, and feeds still further complacency and avoidance in making the hard budgetary and appropriations decisions required,” he said. “Our Funding Deadline Enforcement Act is a real-world response to these concerns.”

A+
a-
  • Congress
  • continuing resolution
  • Federal budget
  • Joe Cunningham
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Federal Budget

    A Georgia Town That Solidly Backed Trump Could Fall Victim to Green Energy Cuts

    CARTERSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — When two South Korean companies announced a multibillion-dollar investment to build solar panel and electric battery factories in northwest Georgia,... Read More

    CARTERSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — When two South Korean companies announced a multibillion-dollar investment to build solar panel and electric battery factories in northwest Georgia, federal subsidies helped close a deal to diversify the local economy. The factories promised thousands of new jobs, transforming the manufacturing base in Cartersville, once a... Read More

    Meet the Senate Parliamentarian, the Official Tying Republicans in Knots Over Their Tax Bill

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A few Republicans reacted with indignation Thursday after the Senate parliamentarian advised that some of the measures in their... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A few Republicans reacted with indignation Thursday after the Senate parliamentarian advised that some of the measures in their tax and immigration bill could not be included in the legislation. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., tweeted on X that Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough should be fired,... Read More

    June 17, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    Senate Opts for Deeper Medicaid Cuts in Its ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

    WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans unveiled their version of President Trump’s big bill on Monday, offering up a package that includes... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans unveiled their version of President Trump’s big bill on Monday, offering up a package that includes deeper cuts to Medicaid, but slows the elimination of some renewable energy tax credits. Though the bill text released by the Senate Finance Committee is similar,... Read More

    June 16, 2025
    by Cara Cervenka
    Education Advocates Urge Senators to Reject the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

    WASHINGTON — Advocates from several educational organizations gathered outside the Russell Senate Office Building last week to urge the Senate... Read More

    WASHINGTON — Advocates from several educational organizations gathered outside the Russell Senate Office Building last week to urge the Senate to reject the so-called "big, beautiful bill” they contend will gut public school funding. Standing in the shadow of the Capitol, educators and parents decried the... Read More

    What's Targeted in Trump's Request for $9.4B in Budget Cuts From Congress

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is looking to cancel $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress. That's just a sliver... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is looking to cancel $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress. That's just a sliver of the $1.7 trillion that lawmakers OK'd for the budget year ending Sept. 30. The package of 21 budget rescissions will have to be approved by both chambers... Read More

    June 6, 2025
    by Dan McCue
    House Looks to Formally Slash PBS, NPR and Other Funding Next Week

    WASHINGTON — The House Rules Committee on Tuesday will mark up a $9 billion-plus rescissions package from the White House,... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The House Rules Committee on Tuesday will mark up a $9 billion-plus rescissions package from the White House, setting the stage for a floor vote next week that will immediately implement the cuts. The carve-backs requested by President Donald Trump include slashing more than... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top