The Deep Rot of Continuing Resolutions

Continuing resolutions are not just a bureaucratic nuisance, they are a cancer on American governance, exposing Congress’s refusal to do its job. This detailed dive into their history, the politicians fueling the fire, and the widespread harm they cause shows how a once practical tool has become a crutch for legislative cowardice. From their origins to today’s bloated disasters, resolutions reveal a system broken by bipartisan neglect, hurting citizens and weakening democracy.

The practice began modestly in 1798, when Congress used temporary funding to plug rare gaps in appropriations. These early measures were focused, covering specific needs for short periods. The modern habit took hold from fiscal year 1954 to 1976, with resolutions becoming yearly necessities as lawmakers dragged their feet. Under the July 1 fiscal year start, these were lean, a few pages tying funding to prior levels or simple formulas, with minimal extra provisions.

The Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, meant to sharpen budgeting by shifting the fiscal year to October 1 from fiscal year 1977, backfired spectacularly. That year, despite passing all thirteen bills on time, Congress still needed two resolutions, Public Law 94473 and Public Law 9516, for odds and ends. From fiscal year 1978, resolutions became relentless, used in all but three years through 2023, skipping only fiscal years 1989, 1995, and 1997. Over forty seven years, two hundred resolutions averaged one hundred thirty seven days of coverage yearly.

The 1980s turned resolutions into legislative monstrosities, packing in unrelated laws as Congress shirked regular processes. Fiscal year 1985’s resolution, a three hundred sixty three page beast, included the Comprehensive Crime Control Act, passed after four one to three day extensions, with a fifth covering eight bills for a full year at three hundred sixty five billion dollars. Fiscal year 1986’s House Joint Resolution 648, becoming Public Law 98473, sprawled over two hundred pages, embedding the Crime Control Act, emergency food aid, and child care provisions. Senate debates stalled over amendments like the Civil Rights Act of 1984, triggering a half day worker furlough. By fiscal year 2001, Congress set a grim record with twenty one resolutions over eighty two days, many one day fixes from Public Law 106401 to Public Law 106428.