Congress Passes Stopgap Spending Bill; Immigration Operations Funded Through February 2

Congress has passed a short-term spending bill that will fund some federal agencies – including immigration operations – through February 2, 2024, while other federal agencies will be funded through January 19, 2024. President Biden is expected to sign the bill, which would avert a U.S. government shutdown at midnight on November 17, 2023.

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 stopgap bill 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 February 2, 2024, meaning immigration operations will continue uninterrupted through that date. Other agencies and programs will be funded through January 19, 2024. Funding for all federal operations was set to expire after midnight on November 17. 

What the short-term spending measure means for employers

The passage of a 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. Immigration operations – particularly those at the Department of Labor — would be affected if additional legislation is not passed by February 2.