End Government Shutdowns Act

The End Government Shutdowns Act would create an automatic continuing appropriations mechanism (an automatic funding "CR") to keep the federal government running if Congress fails to pass regular annual appropriations or a continuing resolution at the start of a fiscal year. Under the bill, if no appropriation or CR is in effect, programs, projects, and activities would continue using funds from the previous year, at a rate not to exceed specified 99% thresholds. The 99% rate would be determined by the prior year’s regular appropriation, prior year’s continuing resolution, or the most recently enacted continuing resolutions, with a 30-day clock that reduces funding by 1 percentage point every 30 days thereafter. The mechanism can extend into the next fiscal year if the lapse continues, and it only applies subject to existing or later law that authorizes or restricts continuation. Expenditures would be charged to the appropriate prior-year appropriation as appropriate, and the mechanism would end when a regular appropriation bill or continuing resolution becomes law. The bill aims to prevent government shutdowns by ensuring continuous operations, but it also preserves Congress’s authority by tying the automatic funding to prior-year levels and to other laws that may authorize or restrict funding. It does not create new funding; instead, it provides a built-in fallback to keep agencies functioning at a controlled, minimized level if Congress does not act on new appropriations.