Whether and how Congress passes a budget this week could indicate what’s to come when negotiations start for the next year, which will be the first full budget under President Trump.
By Liz Farmer | Governing
As lawmakers in Washington work to avoid a shutdown of the federal government this week, the tenor of the negotiations could provide a window for states and localities into what to expect from future budget debates on Capitol Hill.
“The big picture is how well the Republican conference gets along in terms of this run-of-the-mill budget stuff,” says Dan White, a director at Moody’s Analytics. “If they take it down to the wire, that portends some very uncertain fiscal times over the next couple months.”
The federal government has been running on a continuing resolution that funds agencies at 2016 levels. Congress has until midnight on April 28 — this Friday night — to agree on a spending plan for the remainder of the federal fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, or approve another short-term resolution.
