2024 United States federal budget

The United States federal budget for fiscal year 2024 runs from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024.

From October 1, 2023, to March 23, 2024, the federal government operated under continuing resolutions (CR) that extended 2023 budget spending levels as legislators were debating the specific provisions of the 2024 budget.

Background
Under the United States budget process established in 1921, the US government is funded by twelve appropriations bills that are formed as a response to the presidential budget request submitted to Congress in the first few months of the previous calendar year. The various legislators in the two chambers of Congress negotiate over the precise details of the various appropriations bills. In some politically contentious years when these negotiation processes deadlock, the Legislative Branch passes a continuing resolution that essentially extends the current funding levels into the new fiscal year until a budget can be agreed upon by a majority of both houses and signed into law by the President of the United States. Supplemental appropriations bills can provide additional appropriations for emergencies and other matters.

These appropriations bills are classified as discretionary spending, and make up around 22% of federal expenditures. The remainder is classified as mandatory spending, which includes programs such as Social Security and Medicare, as well as interest on debt.

Beginning in 2009, the fiscally conservative Tea Party movement within the Republican Party gained ascendancy in resistance to Obama-era increases in government spending (most visibly due to Obamacare and Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)). Throughout the early 2010s, the Tea Party forced debate over balanced budgets led to a series of austerity measures and debt-ceiling negotiations intended to decrease federal spending. Notable events included the 2011 United States debt-ceiling crisis, 2013 United States debt-ceiling crisis, 2013 United States budget sequestration, and the formation of the Freedom Caucus in January 2015 by a group of conservatives and Tea Party movement members, with the aim of pushing the Republican leadership to the right. Its first chairperson, Jim Jordan, described the caucus as a "smaller, more cohesive, more agile and more active" group of conservative representatives. Jordan later remarked that during the Trump administration, the Freedom Caucus shifted focus from passing legislation to defending President Trump. Under the Trump administration, the longest government shutdown was less about balanced budgets and more a result of an impasse over Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico as Trump threatened to veto spending legislation. Republicans have remained defiant against voting for spending bills in the 118th Congress; several Republicans aligned with the Freedom Caucus have refused to vote for spending bills under Biden, including Chip Roy, Lauren Boebert, and Andy Biggs.

The 2022 midterm elections resulted in a narrow Senate majority for the Democratic Party and a House of Representatives majority for the Republican Party. In the 118th Congress, the Freedom Caucus congressional caucus, has secured a number of House of Representatives seats. Kevin McCarthy, leader of the House Republican Conference, was elected speaker of the House after several days of voting as opposition—primarily led by members of the Freedom Caucus—mounted against him; McCarthy conceded to his opponents to negotiate their support for his speakership. One of these concessions was that any singular member of Congress can initiate a motion to vacate.

Budget legislation
The Biden administration budget proposal was released in March 2023.

In May 2023, McCarthy negotiated with president Joe Biden on a deal to resolve a debt-ceiling crisis and an imminent debt default. In response, Republicans, led by Matt Gaetz, blocked a bill protecting gas stoves against federal regulations in order to force McCarthy to choose between acquiescing to the insurgents and passing legislation that would face resistance in the Senate, or to work with Democrats and contend with a potential ousting. Grievances among Republicans quelled several days later after an agreement was made, but Freedom Caucus members threatened that a blockade could occur if their demands were not met.

The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, passed in June, resolved the debt-ceiling crisis and set spending caps for FY2024 and FY2025.

Summer 2023 shutdown concerns
Negotiations for funding the federal government for the 2024 fiscal year began in July. Republican demands to cut government spending concerned Democrats in the House of Representatives. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking member of the House Committee on Appropriations, stated that Republican opposition would ultimately result in a government shutdown. The Senate Committee on Appropriations remained committed to securing a deal according to ranking members Patty Murray and Susan Collins.

In a show of austerity, members of the Freedom Caucus threatened to refuse to hold a vote on two spending bills supported by McCarthy in July 2023; representative Bob Good stated that members should not "fear a government shutdown". Republicans in the House of Representatives abandoned efforts to fund the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that month but narrowly passed a bill to fund veterans programs and military construction projects. In particular, Republicans sought to include language that reversed an FDA ruling allowing the oral abortion pill mifepristone to be sold in retail pharmacies. In August, Trump was federally indicted for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, further complicating efforts to fund the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer agreed to a temporary spending bill with McCarthy to avert a shutdown that month. McCarthy argued that a shutdown could prevent the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability from investigating the Biden family, but some Republicans remained dismissive.

By September, the federal government appeared poised to shut down. The Freedom Caucus stated its opposition to any bill that would not include a border measure that revives Trump-era policies, including constructing the Trump border wall, detaining asylum seekers for longer, and deporting unaccompanied minors, while many hardliners maintained their oppositions to any continuing resolutions to keep the government open. Additionally, some hardliners threatened to depose McCarthy if he turned to Democrats to gather more votes. Bowing to resistance, McCarthy pulled a Pentagon funding bill that month. House Republicans began considering a temporary bill to fund the government on September 17, but were met with opposition from within the party. In spite of far-right Republicans derailing a second Pentagon funding bill, McCarthy remained optimistic and appeased his opponents. On September 26, the Senate reached a tentative spending deal to fund the government through November, but the bill would not be able to pass before a shutdown due to a filibuster by Senator Rand Paul over aid to Ukraine. McCarthy opposed the deal, telling his conference that he would not put the Senate bill on the House floor.

September 2023 continuing resolution
On September 29, the House Committee on Rules convened to consider a continuing resolution to fund the federal government for an additional month with border security measures. The bill failed 198—232 in the House, with far-right Republicans defying McCarthy. The following day, hours before a shutdown was expected to occur, McCarthy announced that he would support a continuing resolution without aid for Ukraine. The House passed the bill under suspension of the rules a few hours later. Nearly the entire Democratic Caucus supported the resolution, and it was approved in the Senate.

November 2023 continuing resolution
As he had previously threatened to do if McCarthy put a clean continuing resolutions on the floor, Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate and it passed 216–210, with 8 Republicans and all Democrats voting yes, removing McCarthy as speaker. The speakership seat was immediately vacated and for the next several weeks, Patrick McHenry—a McCarthy ally—was made speaker pro tempore. During this period, the House did not pass any legislation as it was obligated to resolve the October 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election with Speaker candidates including Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise. On October 7, the Israel–Hamas war broke out, and the House was also unable to pass any resolutions or military aid to Israel because of the lack of House leadership. During some of the GOP balloting discussions, proposals emerged for extending the CR to April 2024 and mandating a 1% across-the-board cut. On October 25, Mike Johnson was elected as the Speaker of the House of Representatives by a vote of 220–209. Johnson implemented the strategy of passing individual appropriations, however only HR 4821, 4364 and 4394 passed the House before the budget deadline elapsed; a Continuing Resolution passed the House on November 14 with bipartisan support. The Senate passed the bill on November 15. The CR extends funding for four appropriations bills – Transportation/Housing and Urban Development, Military Construction/Veterans Affairs, Energy/Water, and Agriculture/Rural Development/Food and Drug Administration – until January 19, 2024, with the remaining bills extended until February 2.

January 2024 continuing resolution
Following the passage of the November continuing resolution, neither the House nor the Senate advanced any funding bills, as hardline Republicans successfully pushed Speaker Johnson to abandon the funding levels reached in the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

On January 7, 2024, congressional leaders reached a US$1.66 trillion agreement for topline spending. Following the agreement, hardline Republicans again attempted to push Johnson to abandon the deal. Several senior members of congress indicated an interest in passing another continuing resolution into March to allow for more time to draw up funding bills aligned with the deal. The CR was passed on January 18, 2024. The CR would extend funding for the first four appropriations bills until March 1, with the remainder extended until March 8. On February 13, the Senate took their scheduled break until the 26th, and the House designated the 15th through to the 27th as a district work period. This combination meant that all appropriations bills would need to be passed in the three days between the reconvening and first deadlines.

March 2024 continuing resolution
On February 29, the House passed a short-term continuing resolution extending the funding deadline to March 8 for the first four appropriations bills in the November and January CRs, and to March 22 for the rest. The bill passed the Senate as well on March 1, and was signed into law by President Biden later the same day.

First minibus
On March 3, 2024, House and Senate appropriators released a $459 billion "minibus" spending package containing six of the twelve appropriations bills. The bill provides funding for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Interior, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. It also provides appropriations for the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other military construction. Democrats cheered full funding for WIC programs and the lack of "poison pill" riders promoted by Republicans. Republicans cheered cuts to the FBI, ATF, and EPA, although Democrats contested the extent of the cuts. The rightmost faction of the Republican conference harshly opposed the deal, arguing it did not contain any substantial conservative policy; the proposal also drew criticism from some Democrats, who expressed concern over a provision allowing mentally incompetent veterans to buy guns in certain circumstances. The minibus deal passed the House on Wednesday, March 6, and the Senate on March 8; it was signed into law by President Biden on Saturday, March 9. The passage of the bill on coincided with two other major political events that week: Super Tuesday (on Tuesday, March 5) and 2024 State of the Union Address (on Thursday, March 7).

Second minibus
Following the passage of the first minibus, negotiators shifted to work on a second minibus bill to fund the remaining federal departments. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security emerged as a sticking point, with both parties seeking various riders related to border policy, with negotiators pivoting to a full-year CR for that department, which would keep funding flat. That plan ran into a last-minute pushback from the Biden administration, which wanted more funding and flexibility on the border. On March 18, negotiators reached an agreement, with text to come, but due to time to come up with the text of the deal and various House and Senate procedural issues, a short partial shutdown was still considered possible. The second "minibus" spending package passed the House on March 22 by a vote of 286 to 134, divided into 101 Republicans and 184 Democrats in favor and 112 Republicans and 22 Democrats against. The Senate voted 74-24 early Saturday morning on March 23 to pass the $1.2 trillion government funding bill after heated last-minute negotiations caused senators to breach the midnight deadline to avert a shutdown. While the final passage came after the midnight deadline, the Senate's actions effectively prevented any lapse in funding or government function, and the federal government is now funded through the end of the fiscal year. President Biden signed the bill on Saturday, March 23.

Supplemental appropriations legislation
On April 20, the House passed bills providing aid to Israel, Ukraine and Indo-Pacific allies and imposing further sanctions on enemies of the United States. Pursuant to a resolution agreed to by the House, the several bills were merged into a single one before sent to the Senate: the latter therefore held a single vote on the whole package, which passed on April 23. President Biden signed it into law the following day.