Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview

Summary

This report briefly discusses federal funding gaps. The routine activities of most federal agencies are funded annually by one or more

of the 13 regular appropriations bills. When action on the regular appropriations bills is

delayed, a continuing resolution (CR) is used to provide interim funding. During the past

48 years, CRs have been enacted for all but four fiscal years (FY1953, 1989, 1995, and

1997). For some fiscal years, a series of as many as six CRs have been enacted.