Sponsors (16)
The bill reduces harm from government shutdowns by providing automatic short-term funding and clearer budget reporting, but it does so at the cost of shifting spending power away from Congress, increasing automatic federal outlays during lapses, and creating administrative and budgeting complications.
People who rely on federal programs — including low-income beneficiaries, hospitals, states, grantees, and other recipients — continue receiving entitlement, nutrition, grant, and federal services during funding lapses because agencies automatically get limited 14‑day funding increments, reducing abrupt interruptions.
Federal employees and government contractors face less immediate uncertainty because the bill provides a predictable short-term funding framework during lapses.
Taxpayers may save on travel-related costs because Members of Congress and staff are less likely to travel during covered funding gaps.
Taxpayers may face continuing federal expenditures during shutdowns without new congressional votes, increasing outlays and reducing Congress's leverage to negotiate spending decisions.
Congress's power of the purse could be diluted because agencies can keep spending and shift funds (up to specified limits with OMB approval) during lapses, weakening legislative control over appropriations.
The 14‑day incremental funding approach creates administrative burden and planning uncertainty for agencies, grantees, and state/local governments if lapses recur or persist.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Automatically provides short-term continuing appropriations at prior rates during funding gaps and imposes travel and floor restrictions while those backstops are active.
Introduced September 4, 2025 by James Lankford · Last progress September 4, 2025
Creates an automatic short-term funding backstop that keeps federal programs running at prior-year rates in 14-calendar-day increments when Congress fails to pass regular appropriations, and adds rules to limit travel and congressional floor business while that backstop is in effect. It also sets how those automatic appropriations are scored for budget enforcement and takes effect September 30, 2025. The bill requires agencies to apply the smallest funding actions needed to keep programs operating, protects entitlement and food assistance payments, allows limited intra-agency transfers with OMB approval, and establishes expedited review for exceptions. While the backstop is active, it bars most official travel by certain executive and congressional personnel and restricts House and Senate floor activity and recesses to keep Congress working on funding bills.