Every year, the United States Congress is responsible for writing, passing, reconciling, and submitting to the President of the United States a series of appropriations bills that appropriate money to specific federal government departments, agencies, and programs for their use to operate in the subsequent fiscal year.
[1] In 2014, Congress was responsible for passing the appropriations bills that would fund the federal government in fiscal year 2015, which runs from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 2015.
As of June 18, 2014, the United States House of Representatives had passed five regular appropriations bills and was debating another.
[1] Regular appropriations bills are passed annually, with the funding they provide covering one fiscal year.
[5] The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R.
4870; 113th Congress) would provide funding for the United States Department of Defense for fiscal year 2015 of approximately $491 billion.
"[24] The amendment was voted down 31–17, with Rep. Frelinghuysen arguing that there were no funds devoted to Iraq in the bill and all the troops had left in 2011.
Lee's second amendment would have required the executive branch to report to Congress on actions taken under the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists from 13 years ago.
[32] On December 11, 2014, the House passed the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, popularly called the "cromnibus" bill, combining an omnibus spending bill funding the federal government through October 2015, with a continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security through February 2015.
The House passed a two-day continuing resolution (a "CR" for short) at the same time, to prevent a government shutdown until the Senate could take action.
[33] On February 27, 2015, a one-week continuing resolution was passed just hours before the Department of Homeland Security was to shut down.
[34] The full-year appropriations bill was passed on March 3, after Republican House leadership dropped demands to attach provisions rolling back Obama's executive actions on immigration.
In 2013, Congress failed to agree on any regular appropriations bills prior to the start of fiscal year 2014.
An attempt was made to pass the Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014 (H.J.Res 59) prior to October 1, but the House and Senate could not agree on its provisions, leading to the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.
[19] Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) shared this goal of finishing all of the appropriations bills on time.
On the one hand, Congress has successfully agreed on an overall spending level of $1.014 trillion as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013.
[36] There was also "pent-up demand in Congress to influence the actions of federal agencies through the setting of spending priorities.
"[43] However, Republicans were not expecting an open amendment process being allowed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
[13] At that time, The Hill reported that "it remains likely that both chambers will ultimately pass a short-term measure in September to keep the government funded at current levels through the midterm elections," due to a stalled appropriations process in the Senate over a dispute about the amendment process.