The 2027 Appropriations Process Has Started
Lawmakers in Washington have one must-do task each year: pass the twelve annual discretionary spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year before midnight on September 30th so the government doesn’t shut down. But Congress has not managed to pass a budget on time since 1996, relying on continuing resolutions, short term patches or precipitating government shutdowns sometimes for extended periods. Concord Action is tracking each bill’s movement through both chambers of Congress.
If you think Congress should get its act together, help us send a message to your legislators. Ask them to support the No Budget, No Pay Act (details below).
Where Are We in the Appropriations Process?
Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills each year to fund the government. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees oversee this process; 12 subcommittees in each chamber are responsible for drafting the bills. Each bill moves through several steps: subcommittee approval, full committee approval, House and Senate floor votes, and negotiations to reconcile differences before a final version goes to the President. If lawmakers miss the October 1 deadline, they often rely on temporary continuing resolutions to avoid a shutdown. Our tracker shows where each bill stands and how close Congress is to completing its work.
What Can I Do?
The yearly budget process is a fundamental part of the work of Congress, and yet they have failed to pass a budget on time since 1996. We are facing rising inflation, a weakening economy, and a national debt that has surpassed $39 trillion, and Congress, on a fundamental level, will not do their job.
The first step to re-establishing fiscal responsibility is recommitting to a rules-based budget process that sets budget targets and passes budgets on time.
You can click below to take action now and let your members of Congress know if they aren’t doing their job, they shouldn’t get paid.
