HR 5860: Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act

HR 5860 in plain English: This act provides temporary continuing appropriations to keep the federal government funded at roughly FY2023 levels through November 17, 2023, preventing a government shutdown. It also provides $16 billion in emergency disaster relief funding and extends several expiring programs, including Federal Aviation Administration programs, the National Flood Insurance Program, and various public health programs.

Stated purpose

To prevent a federal government shutdown by temporarily continuing funding for federal agencies at prior-year levels through November 17, 2023, while also providing emergency disaster relief funding and extending several expiring federal programs.

Key points

• Funds federal agencies at FY2023 spending levels through November 17, 2023, to prevent a government shutdown
• Provides $16 billion in emergency disaster relief, with $15.5 billion for major declared disasters
• Extends expiring programs including FAA programs, the National Flood Insurance Program, and FDA animal drug user fees
• Allows up to $621,270,000 for procurement of one Columbia Class Submarine
• Extends several public health programs, including community health center funding of $526,027,397 through November 17, 2023

Arguments supporters make

• Prevents a disruptive government shutdown that would furlough federal workers, delay services, and harm the economy, buying time for Congress to pass full-year budgets.
• Includes emergency disaster relief funding to help communities recover from natural disasters without delay.
• Extending programs like the National Flood Insurance Program and FAA authorities ensures critical services and protections remain in place without a gap.

Arguments opponents make

• A short-term patch lasting only weeks does nothing to resolve underlying budget disagreements and simply delays a potential shutdown rather than solving it.
• Funding agencies at prior-year levels may freeze important new priorities or prevent agencies from adjusting spending to meet current needs.
• Repeated reliance on continuing resolutions creates uncertainty for agencies, contractors, and the public, making long-term planning difficult and potentially wasteful.

Tradeoffs

Keeping the government open in the short term avoids immediate disruption but requires accepting prior-year spending levels and postponing harder decisions about full-year priorities; the temporary fix trades long-term budget clarity for short-term stability.

Current status in Congress: Became law.

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