Some state legislatures require substantial appropriations to compensate legislators for convening outside a regular session, and those compensation requirements (sometimes reaching six-figure totals) can create a financial barrier to calling special sessions.
November 14, 2025
high
temporal
High compensation costs for out-of-session work can deter legislatures from calling special sessions.
Full monthly SNAP benefit payments cost between $8.5 billion and $9.0 billion per month.
November 07, 2025
high
statistical
Estimated total monthly cost to provide full SNAP benefits nationally.
An emergency federal reserve fund for SNAP contained more than $4.6 billion available to be used for SNAP payments.
November 07, 2025
high
statistical
Size of a designated emergency reserve fund that can be tapped for SNAP benefit payments.
A continuing resolution (CR) is a short-term spending package used to fund the federal government temporarily.
November 06, 2025
high
definition
General definition of a CR as used in federal budgeting and appropriations.
Continuing resolutions can include provisions that automatically extend into subsequent continuing resolutions, allowing certain authorities or restrictions to persist beyond a single CR.
November 06, 2025
medium-high
procedural
Describes a procedural feature whereby language in one CR may carry forward into the next CR.
The U.S. Senate includes procedural exceptions to the 60-vote threshold, including expedited confirmation procedures for certain nominations and the budget reconciliation process that can allow certain tax and spending measures to pass by simple majority.
October 31, 2025
high
procedural
Identifies existing mechanisms that bypass the standard 60-vote cloture requirement.
A failure by Congress to enact appropriations or other funding legislation before the start of a fiscal year can result in a federal government shutdown, disrupting federal operations and funding.
October 23, 2025
high
causal
Cause-and-effect relationship between lapse in appropriations and government shutdowns.
In South Carolina, 'in-district compensation' is a budgeted payment described as money set aside for legislative duties that has relatively few restrictions on how recipients may spend it.
October 22, 2025
high
definition
Terminology and spending restrictions for a recurring legislative payment used to cover duties and expenses.
Funding the federal government normally requires passage of multiple annual appropriations bills, each covering different departments and programs.
October 16, 2025
high
institutional
Congress funds government operations through a set of appropriations bills rather than a single omnibus law by default.
In prior U.S. federal government shutdowns, concerns that military personnel might not be paid have historically created political pressure on Congress to resolve funding impasses.
October 15, 2025
medium
political
Historical pattern of shutdown-related pressure on lawmakers arising from potential impacts on military pay
The U.S. federal budget process uses twelve annual appropriations bills to fund government operations, and when those bills are not enacted before funding expires, Congress commonly passes short-term continuing resolutions (stopgap measures) to temporarily extend funding.
October 10, 2025
high
procedural
Continuing resolutions are temporary funding measures used to avoid immediate shutdowns when regular appropriations are not completed.
A continuing resolution (CR) is a temporary funding measure that Congress can pass to keep federal government operations funded until a specified future date when regular appropriations are enacted.
October 08, 2025
high
definition
Explains the purpose and function of a continuing resolution in federal budgeting.
The U.S. federal budget is organized by fiscal years (for example, fiscal year 2025), and Congress can pass legislation such as continuing resolutions to temporarily extend prior fiscal year funding levels.
October 08, 2025
high
institutional
Continuing resolutions or short-term funding bills are used to maintain government funding when regular appropriations are not enacted.
Federal emergency payments for emergency care, including Emergency Medicaid reimbursements, constitute less than 1% of total Medicaid spending.
October 07, 2025
high
statistical
Share of Medicaid spending accounted for by emergency-related federal payments.
A 2025 KFF analysis of Congressional Budget Office estimates found that policy changes related to immigrants with legal status would increase federal spending by $131 billion.
October 07, 2025
high
statistical
Fiscal estimate from a 2025 analysis forecasting federal spending impacts of immigrant-related policy changes.
Congress can use short-term federal funding bills, commonly called continuing resolutions, to extend federal funding deadlines and provide more time to complete annual appropriations for a fiscal year.
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
Continuing resolutions are a routine legislative tool to keep government operations funded when regular appropriations are not completed on schedule.
The United States federal government is funded on a fiscal year basis, requiring Congress to pass appropriations or other funding measures for each fiscal year (for example, fiscal year 2026).
October 06, 2025
high
temporal
Federal spending is organized by fiscal years, and failure to enact appropriations can lead to temporary funding measures or government shutdowns.
In 2025, the Trump administration sought $76.5 billion in funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an amount described as roughly a tenfold increase over ICE's prior budget.
October 06, 2025
high
financial
Characterizes the scale of the 2025 federal funding request for ICE relative to its earlier budget.
A full federal government shutdown occurs when the federal fiscal year ends on September 30 and none of Congress's 12 single-subject appropriations bills have been enacted by both the House and Senate.
September 30, 2025
high
temporal
Definition of what constitutes a full U.S. federal government shutdown
Continuing resolutions (short-term funding bills) are a mechanism used by the U.S. Congress to temporarily fund federal operations and avoid government shutdowns.
January 01, 2025
high
procedural
Legislative tool to maintain government funding for a limited period.
In 2024, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) had an approximate budget of $7.5 billion, with most of that funding distributed to U.S. states for programs addressing mental health and addiction.
January 01, 2024
high
temporal
Scale and primary use of SAMHSA's federal budget in a recent year.
The U.S. federal fiscal year ends on September 30 each year.
high
temporal
Federal appropriations and budget cycles are organized around the October 1 start of the new fiscal year following the September 30 end.
In U.S. appropriations practice, a 'minibus' is a legislative package that combines multiple appropriations bills into a single measure.
high
procedural
Minibus packages are an alternative to passing individual appropriations bills or a single large omnibus bill, and can be used to expedite enactment of funding for grouped areas.
Congress can structure appropriations to fully fund specific agencies or accounts (for example: military construction, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and the legislative branch) so that those agencies and related programs remain operational even if other parts of the government are in a funding lapse.
high
policy
Appropriations can be targeted to exempt certain programs from the effects of a broader government shutdown.
The U.S. Congress's annual appropriations process is organized as twelve individual appropriations bills.
high
structural
Describes the standard structure of the federal appropriations process.
A 'minibus' is a legislative vehicle that combines multiple individual appropriations bills into a single package for consideration and passage.
high
definition
Explains the meaning of the term 'minibus' in U.S. congressional appropriations practice.
Congressional appropriations are commonly structured as separate funding bills that can cover areas such as military construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs; the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration; and operations of the legislative branch.
high
structural
Lists typical subject-matter groupings found in federal appropriations legislation.