Congress Avoids a Government Shutdown
by Stephanie Buka, Government Affairs Coordinator Oct 4, 2024

To avoid a government shutdown, Congress passed on September 25, 2024, and President Biden signed into law, a continuing resolution (CR, H.R. 9747) that will extend funding for the federal government until December 20, 2024. The passage of the CR avoided a government shutdown right before the new fiscal year (FY) began on October 1, 2024. With a CR enacted, members of Congress left their offices on Capitol Hill for a campaigning recess in the run-up to the November 5, 2024 General Election. Congress will return on November 12, 2024, and will have until December 20, 2024 to negotiate bipartisan spending agreements on all 12 FY 2025 appropriations.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) negotiated the bipartisan CR that passed the House by a vote of 341 to 82 and passed the Senate with a final vote of 78 to 18.

Congress often rolls the 12 annual spending bills into a single, massive package, called an omnibus, to save time ahead of end-of-year deadlines. Speaker Johnson has vowed not to allow a vote on an omnibus or on what lawmakers call “minibuses,” smaller packages made up of several spending bills. To view the status of the 12 spending bills, visit Congressional Research Service Appropriations.

While it appears that Congress does not want to shutdown the government, the debate that will occur in December will be very revealing. Congress may decide to defer spending decisions again until the next presidential administration is in place.

The Government Affairs team will monitor and report on how the dynamics play out in relation to the December 20, 2024 deadline.

In this article, Stephanie Buka, Government Affairs Coordinator, PRINTING United Alliance, discusses the continuing resolution (CR) signed into law. More information can be found at Business Excellence-Legislation or reach out to Steph should you have additional questions specific to how these issues may affect your business: sbuka@printing.org.

To become a member of the Alliance and learn more about how our subject matter experts can assist your company with services and resources such as those mentioned in this article, please contact the Alliance membership team: 888-385-3588 / membership@printing.org.    

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Stephanie Buka Government Affairs Coordinator
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Stephanie Buka is the Government Affairs Coordinator for PRINTING United Alliance. In this role, she supports Ford Bowers, CEO, the Government Affairs team, and coordinates efforts with lobbying firm, ACG Advocacy. She manages all aspects of grassroots advocacy campaigns, including facilitating timely call-to-action alerts and updates to The Advocacy Center on key federal and state legislative issues. As a member of the Office of Corporate Communications, Buka manages the content and audience building responsibilities for the Government Affairs team. She is also responsible for the administration of the Alliance's political action committee, PrintPAC.

Prior to joining the Alliance, Buka served as a senior legislative researcher, and later as a constituent services coordinator, for the 15-member legislative body representing 1.3 million residents of Allegheny County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition to drafting legislation and addressing constituent concerns, Buka cultivated strong relationships with appointed and elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels of government.

Buka holds a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). She also earned a master's degree in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, along with a Certificate in Forensic Science and Law from Duquesne University.

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