It’s virtually impossible for the House and Senate to agree to all 12 annual spending bills by the Sept. 30 fiscal year end, especially given the tight legislative schedule. That means a continuing resolution will likely be necessary to keep the government open and would potentially be paired with an emergency supplemental package.

The White House has submitted a supplemental spending package that would pay for Ukraine aid and domestic disaster relief to address extreme weather events and other disasters. The White House has said it will not separate the Ukraine and domestic aid portions of its request, which isn’t sitting well with some far-right House Republicans starting to question continued aid to Ukraine in its defense against Russia.

In the meantime, House leaders have said they will take up an $826.4 billion defense appropriations bill when the chamber returns to D.C. The House will also consider in the coming weeks the homeland security bill, which funds the Coast Guard and many other items. Neither bill is likely to align with what appropriators in the Democratic-led Senate will agree to, and neither is likely to get President Biden’s signature.

None of the 12 annual appropriations bills has cleared both chambers to make it to President Biden’s desk, despite promises from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that there would be a return to the traditional appropriations process.

Army photo by Spc. Peter Seidler