With the clock ticking down to a potential government shutdown, Congressional Republican leaders unveiled a stopgap funding bill on September 17, 2025, designed to keep the federal government operating through November 21. The bill, however, omits a key White House request, setting the stage for a potentially contentious legislative battle.
Key Provisions of the Continuing Resolution
The draft stopgap bill, largely a „clean” continuing resolution (CR), maintains funding at previous fiscal year levels. The Defense Department would see minimal changes under this legislation. While the White House had requested an additional $3.9 billion for the Columbia-class submarine program, as reported by Inside Defense, this funding was not included in the CR.
Flexibility for Pentagon Programs
Despite omitting the Columbia-class submarine funding, the bill does include provisions allowing the Pentagon to increase the „rate of operations” for the E-7 Wedgetail prototype program and the Virginia-class submarine. This provides the department with greater flexibility to increase spending on these programs during the CR’s duration.
Furthermore, the bill extends the Defense Production Act, which was set to expire at the end of September, until the CR’s expiration date. This grants lawmakers additional time to negotiate a longer extension or amend the existing legislation. Like previous CRs, the bill prohibits the initiation of new programs or the use of funds for multiyear contracts.
Partisan Divisions and Potential Opposition
The White House and Republican appropriators had previously disagreed on the CR’s duration, with the administration favoring an extension through January 31, while committee leaders sought a shorter timeframe ending in November, deemed sufficient for passing full-year appropriations bills.
House Speaker Mike Johnson aims to pass the bill through the House by Friday, but faces potential challenges. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar stated that support for the bill hinges on Republican engagement on healthcare issues. Johnson, however, asserted that extending Obamacare subsidies is a „December policy issue” and not relevant to the CR.
The bill also faces potential opposition from fiscal conservatives, who have expressed concerns about short-term funding stopgaps. According to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a procedural vote is planned for the weekend, with a final vote scheduled for September 29, upon lawmakers’ return from a week-long recess.
Impact on the Defense Department
The Defense Department has been operating under a continuing resolution for the entirety of FY25, a first-time occurrence that Rep. Ken Calvert, chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, described as „destructive” for the Pentagon in an interview with Breaking Defense earlier this month. Calvert emphasized the need for Congress to pass appropriations bills to avoid further disruptions to the department’s operations.
