Overview of Continuing Appropriations for FY2018 (P.L. 115-56)

Summary

This report provides an analysis of the continuing appropriations provisions for FY2018 in Division D of H.R. 601. The measure also included separate divisions that establish a program to provide foreign assistance concerning basic education (Division A—Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act), supplemental appropriations for disaster relief requirements for FY2017 (Division B), and a temporary suspension of the public debt limit (Division C). On September 8, 2017, the President signed H.R. 601 into law (P.L. 115-56).

Division D of H.R. 601 was termed a “continuing resolution” (CR) because it provided temporary authority for federal agencies and programs to continue spending in FY2018 in the same manner as a separately enacted CR. It provides temporary funding for the programs and activities covered by all 12 of the regular appropriations bills, since none of them had been enacted previously. These provisions provide continuing budget authority for projects and activities funded in FY2017 by that fiscal year’s regular appropriations acts, with some exceptions. It includes both budget authority that is subject to the statutory discretionary spending limits on defense and nondefense spending and also budget authority that is effectively exempt from those limits, such as that designated as for “Overseas Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism.”

Funding under the terms of the CR is effective October 1, 2017, through December 8, 2017—roughly the first 10 weeks of the fiscal year.

The CR generally provides budget authority for FY2018 for projects and activities at the rate at which they were funded during FY2017. Most projects and activities funded in the CR, however, are also subject to an across-the-board decrease of 0.6791% (pursuant to Section 101(b) of Division D).

According to the cost estimate prepared by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the annualized discretionary budget authority provided in the FY2018 CR, as enacted, and subject to the statutory discretionary spending limits is approximately $1,070 billion. When spending that is effectively not subject to those limits (Overseas Contingency Operations, disaster relief, emergency requirements, and program integrity adjustments) is also included, the CBO estimate is $1,183 billion.

CRs usually include provisions that are specific to certain agencies, accounts, or programs. These include provisions that designate exceptions to the formula and purpose for which any referenced funding is extended (referred to as “anomalies”) as well as provisions that have the effect of creating new law or changing existing law (often used to renew expiring provisions of law). The CR includes a number of such provisions, each of which is briefly summarized in this report. CRS appropriations process experts for each of these provisions are listed in Table 1.

For general information on the content of CRs and historical data on CRs enacted between FY1977 and FY2016, see CRS Report R42647, Continuing Resolutions: Overview of Components and Recent Practices, by James V. Saturno and Jessica Tollestrup.