Congress Passes Stopgap Spending Bill; Immigration Operations Funded Through Early March

Congress has passed another short-term spending bill that will fund some federal agencies – including immigration operations – through March 8, 2024, while other federal agencies will be funded through March 1. President Biden is expected to sign the bill, which would avert a U.S. government shutdown.

The issue

A continuing resolution passed by Congress today will fund the federal government for a short period of time while negotiations on the FY 2024 budget continue. The latest stopgap bill again uses a two-tiered approach to continue government funding. Several federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Labor, Homeland Security, and State, will be funded through March 8, 2024, meaning immigration operations requiring congressional appropriations will continue uninterrupted through that date. Other agencies and programs will be funded through March 1, 2024. Under the previous stopgap measure, funding for some federal operations was set to expire after midnight on Friday, January 19, though immigration operations were funded through February 2.

What the short-term spending measure means for employers

The passage of another temporary spending measure means that there will be no interruption of federal operations for now, though a shutdown remains a possibility if there is no agreement on FY 2024 appropriations legislation or an additional stopgap by the tiered expiration dates. Some immigration operations – particularly those at the Department of Labor – would be affected if additional legislation is not passed by March 8.