A continuing resolution is an appropriation act that provides budget authority for federal agencies, specific activities, or both to continue in operation when Congress and the president have not completed action on the regular appropriation acts by the beginning of the fiscal year. That is the definition in the budget glossary of the Government Accountability Office, which notes that the term is often shortened to "CR". The same entry gives a second name for it, a continuing appropriation.
Why the start of the fiscal year matters
The glossary says the fiscal year for the federal government begins on October 1 of each year and ends on September 30 of the following year, and that a fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Its example is fiscal year 1990, which began on October 1, 1989, and ended on September 30, 1990. A continuing resolution is the measure used when the regular appropriation acts for a fiscal year are not complete by that starting date.
How a continuing resolution becomes law
The glossary says a continuing resolution is enacted in the form of a joint resolution, passed by both houses of Congress and signed into law by the president. Its entry on joint resolutions says there is no real difference between a bill and a joint resolution, and that both require a majority vote and become law in the same manner, by bicameral enactment and signature of the president.
How long it lasts and how much it provides
The glossary describes three possible lengths and one usual limit on spending.
| Feature | What the GAO glossary says |
|---|---|
| Length | It may be enacted for the full year, up to a specified date, or until regular appropriations are enacted. |
| Spending limit | It usually specifies a maximum rate at which obligations may be incurred, based on levels specified in the resolution. |
| Full-year version | If enacted to cover the entire fiscal year, it will usually specify amounts provided for each appropriation account. |
The glossary also defines the "current rate", a term used in continuing resolutions, as the total amount of budget authority that was available for obligation for an activity during the fiscal year immediately before the one the resolution covers. It says the current rate does not allow agencies to fund new initiatives or programs requested for the current year unless Congress specifically authorizes them.
A continuing resolution enacted in 2026
One example is the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, designated H.R. 6500, whose bill status record shows it became Public Law 119-103. Its text shows the features the glossary describes.
- Section 101 appropriates such amounts as may be necessary, at a rate for operations as provided in the applicable appropriations acts for fiscal year 2026, for continuing projects or activities that were conducted in fiscal year 2026.
- Section 104 says the funding may not be used to initiate or resume any project or activity for which appropriations, funds, or other authority were not available during fiscal year 2026, except as otherwise provided in section 102.
- Section 106 says that, unless the act or the applicable fiscal year 2027 appropriations act provides otherwise, the funding is available until whichever of three things occurs first: the enactment of an appropriation for a project or activity the act covers, the enactment of the applicable fiscal year 2027 appropriations act without any provision for that project or activity, or December 11, 2026.
The page on whether the government will shut down on December 11 follows that deadline.