Policy Backgrounders

FY2024 Federal Budget Negotiations

March 01, 2024

Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead™

This week, Congress has been working against self-imposed deadlines of March 1 and March 8 to pass all 12 appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024. Congress has now reached an agreement to extend these deadlines to March 8 and March 22, respectively, adding two appropriations bills to the first deadline. In addition to specific spending provisions, Congressional negotiators are sorting through policy changes in the bills that some Members of Congress are seeking. Congress also continues to consider a national security supplemental that would provide assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific region.

• Before Congressional leaders reached their funding agreement, the government faced a possible shutdown for the agencies covered by the first deadline of March 1 (the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, a portion of veterans’ spending, and the Food and Drug Administration).
• After a meeting among Congressional leaders at the White House, Congressional leaders struck a deal to extend the funding deadlines to March 8 for six nearly finalized appropriations bills and March 22 for the remaining six appropriations bills, which contain more contentious policy disputes.
• Some Congressional Republicans are seeking policy changes, known as “policy riders,” related to border security, gun rights, abortion, and various earmarks, while Democrats want additional funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
• Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is also under pressure to consider the national security supplemental in the House of Representatives, particularly given the munitions shortages and setbacks that the Ukrainian military is experiencing in its war against Russia’s invasion.