House Passes Spending Plan, but Shutdown Threat Still Lingers for ED
By Hugh T. Ferguson, NASFAA Managing Editor
Congressional leaders are still facing the prospect of a government shutdown set to begin at the end of the day on March 14, with spending negotiations hitting significant complications in the Senate. Meanwhile, the House is expected to begin its recess after advancing a spending bill, which appears unlikely to garner the necessary bipartisan support to clear the Senate.
Even though the House passed a continuing resolution on Tuesday, by a vote of 217-213 – only a single Republican voted in opposition while a sole Democrat voted in favor – to fund the government through September 30 at levels set during the previous fiscal year (2024), under the Biden administration, the measure faces significant odds in the Senate. Democrats are unlikely to support some policy riders included in the bill and have expressed concern over the Trump administration’s handling of federally appropriated funding.
“Congress—not Trump or Musk—should decide through careful bipartisan negotiations how to invest in our states and districts—and whether critical programs that support students, veterans, families, and patients get funded or not,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
In response to the House’s continuing resolution, Murray and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, unveiled their own short-term spending bill that would keep the government open through April 11 while Congress works towards passing full-year funding bills.
Negotiations over spending levels have become complicated with officials from the Trump administration telling congressional Republicans that they will utilize a tool referred to as “impoundments,” where the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) would hold back certain money appropriated by Congress in order to make cuts to federal spending.
It currently remains unclear whether Senate Republicans will be able to peel off enough votes from the chamber’s Democrats to send the bill to President Trump’s desk for enactment.
While the effects of a shutdown are slated to begin after midnight on Friday, March 14, the impact of the funding freeze will start to unfold on Monday, March 17, when “non-essential” government employees will be furloughed, and programs across the federal government will stop receiving payment.
The Department of Education (ED) is expected to provide a contingency planning document in the coming days, further outlining work “exempt” from furlough should a shutdown occur. ED last provided a detailed document in 2023 when there was another threat of a government shutdown.
Publication Date: 3/12/2025
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