2024 United States federal budget
Submitted by | Joe Biden |
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Submitted to | 118th Congress |
Website | Budget of the US Government |
‹ 2023 2025 › |
The United States federal budget for fiscal year 2024 runs from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024.
From October 1, 2023, to March 23, 2024, the federal government operated under continuing resolutions (CR) that extended 2023 budget spending levels as legislators were debating the specific provisions of the 2024 budget.
Background
Under the United States budget process established in 1921, the US government is funded by twelve appropriations bills that are formed as a response to the presidential budget request submitted to congress in the first few months of the calendar year. The various legislators in the two chambers of congress negotiate over the precise details of the various appropriations bills. In some politically contentious years when these negotiation processes deadlock, the Legislative Branch passes a continuing resolution that essentially extends the current funding levels into the new fiscal year until a budget can be agreed upon by a majority of both houses and signed into law by the President of the United States. Supplemental appropriations bills can provide additional appropriations for emergencies and other matters.
These appropriations bills are classified as discretionary spending, and make up around 22% of federal expenditures. The remainder is classified as mandatory spending, which includes programs such as Social Security and Medicare, as well as interest on debt.[1]
Beginning in 2009, the fiscally conservative Tea Party movement within the Republican Party gained ascendancy in resistance to Obama-era increases in government spending (most visibly due to Obamacare and Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)). Throughout the early 2010s, the Tea Party forced debate over balanced budgets led to a series of austerity measures and debt-ceiling negotiations intended to decrease federal spending. Notable events included the 2011 United States debt-ceiling crisis, 2013 United States debt-ceiling crisis, 2013 United States budget sequestration, and the formation of the Freedom Caucus in January 2015 by a group of conservatives and Tea Party movement members,[2][3] with the aim of pushing the Republican leadership to the right.[4] Its first chairperson, Jim Jordan, described the caucus as a "smaller, more cohesive, more agile and more active" group of conservative representatives.[5] Jordan later remarked that during the Trump administration, the Freedom Caucus shifted focus from passing legislation to defending President Trump.[6] Under the Trump administration, the longest government shutdown was less about balanced budgets and more a result of an impasse over Donald Trump's proposed border wall with Mexico as Trump threatened to veto spending legislation. Republicans have remained defiant against voting for spending bills in the 118th Congress; several Republicans aligned with the Freedom Caucus have refused to vote for spending bills under Biden, including Chip Roy, Lauren Boebert, and Andy Biggs.[7]
The 2022 midterm elections resulted in a narrow Senate majority for the Democratic Party and a House of Representatives majority for the Republican Party. In the 118th Congress, the Freedom Caucus congressional caucus, has secured a number of House of Representatives seats. Kevin McCarthy, leader of the House Republican Conference, was elected speaker of the House after several days of voting as opposition—primarily led by members of the Freedom Caucus—mounted against him; McCarthy conceded to his opponents to negotiate their support for his speakership.[8] One of these concessions was that any singular member of Congress can initiate a motion to vacate.[9]
Budget legislation
The Biden administration budget proposal was released in March 2023.[10]
In May 2023, McCarthy negotiated with president Joe Biden on a deal to resolve a debt-ceiling crisis and an imminent debt default. In response, Republicans, led by Matt Gaetz, blocked a bill protecting gas stoves against federal regulations[11] in order to force McCarthy to choose between acquiescing to the insurgents and passing legislation that would face resistance in the Senate, or to work with Democrats and contend with a potential ousting.[12] Grievances among Republicans quelled several days later after an agreement was made, but Freedom Caucus members threatened that a blockade could occur if their demands were not met.[13]
The Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, passed in June, resolved the debt-ceiling crisis and set spending caps for FY2024 and FY2025.
Appropriations legislation
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/50/Kevin_McCarthy%2C_official_portrait%2C_speaker.jpg/230px-Kevin_McCarthy%2C_official_portrait%2C_speaker.jpg)
Summer 2023 shutdown concerns
Negotiations for funding the federal government for the 2024 fiscal year began in July. Republican demands to cut government spending concerned Democrats in the House of Representatives. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking member of the House Committee on Appropriations, stated that Republican opposition would ultimately result in a government shutdown. The Senate Committee on Appropriations remained committed to securing a deal according to ranking members Patty Murray and Susan Collins.[7]
In a show of austerity, members of the Freedom Caucus threatened to refuse to hold a vote on two spending bills supported by McCarthy in July 2023; representative Bob Good stated that members should not "fear a government shutdown".[14] Republicans in the House of Representatives abandoned efforts to fund the Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that month but narrowly passed a bill to fund veterans programs and military construction projects. In particular, Republicans sought to include language that reversed an FDA ruling allowing the oral abortion pill mifepristone to be sold in retail pharmacies.[15] In August, Trump was federally indicted for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, further complicating efforts to fund the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice.[16] Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer agreed to a temporary spending bill with McCarthy to avert a shutdown that month.[17] McCarthy argued that a shutdown could prevent the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability from investigating the Biden family, but some Republicans remained dismissive.[18]
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Long title | An act making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2024, and for other purposes. |
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Enacted by | the 118th United States Congress |
Citations | |
Public law | Pub.L. 118–15 (text) (PDF) |
Legislative history | |
By September, the federal government appeared poised to shut down.[19] The Freedom Caucus stated its opposition to any bill that would not include a border measure that revives Trump-era policies, including constructing the Trump border wall, detaining asylum seekers for longer, and deporting unaccompanied minors,[20] while many hardliners maintained their oppositions to any continuing resolutions to keep the government open.[21] Additionally, some hardliners threatened to depose McCarthy if he turned to Democrats to gather more votes.[22] Bowing to resistance, McCarthy pulled a Pentagon funding bill that month.[23] House Republicans began considering a temporary bill to fund the government on September 17,[24] but were met with opposition from within the party.[25] In spite of far-right Republicans derailing a second Pentagon funding bill,[26] McCarthy remained optimistic and appeased his opponents.[27] On September 26, the Senate reached a tentative spending deal to fund the government through November,[28] but the bill would not be able to pass before a shutdown due to a filibuster by Senator Rand Paul over aid to Ukraine.[29] McCarthy opposed the deal, telling his conference that he would not put the Senate bill on the House floor.[30]
September 2023 continuing resolution
On September 29, the House Committee on Rules convened to consider a continuing resolution to fund the federal government for an additional month with border security measures.[31] The bill failed 198—232 in the House, with far-right Republicans defying McCarthy.[32] The following day, hours before a shutdown was expected to occur, McCarthy announced that he would support a continuing resolution without aid for Ukraine.[33] The House passed the bill under suspension of the rules a few hours later. Nearly the entire Democratic Caucus supported the resolution, and it was approved in the Senate.[34]
November 2023 continuing resolution
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Long title | An act making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2024, and for other purposes. |
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Enacted by | the 118th United States Congress |
Citations | |
Public law | Pub.L. 118–22 (text) (PDF) |
Legislative history | |
As he had previously threatened to do if McCarthy put a clean continuing resolutions on the floor, Gaetz introduced a motion to vacate and it passed 216–210, with 8 Republicans and all Democrats voting yes, removing McCarthy as speaker. The speakership seat was immediately vacated and for the next several weeks, Patrick McHenry—a McCarthy ally—was made speaker pro tempore. During this period, the House did not pass any legislation as it was obligated to resolve the October 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election with Speaker candidates including Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise. On October 7, the Israel–Hamas war broke out, and the House was also unable to pass any resolutions or military aid to Israel because of the lack of House leadership. During some of the GOP balloting discussions, proposals emerged for extending the CR to April 2024 and mandating a 1% across-the-board cut.[35][36] On October 25, Mike Johnson was elected as the Speaker of the House of Representatives by a vote of 220–209.[37] Johnson implemented the strategy of passing individual appropriations, however only HR 4821, 4364 and 4394 passed the House before the budget deadline elapsed; a Continuing Resolution passed the House on November 14 with bipartisan support.[38] The Senate passed the bill on November 15. The CR extends funding for four appropriations bills - Transportation/Housing and Urban Development, Military Construction/Veterans Affairs, Energy/Water, and Agriculture/Rural Development/Food and Drug Administration - until January 19, 2024, with the remaining bills extended until February 2.[39]
January 2024 continuing resolution
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Long title | An act making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2024, and for other purposes. |
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Enacted by | the 118th United States Congress |
Citations | |
Public law | Pub.L. 118–35 (text) (PDF) |
Legislative history | |
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Following the passage of the November continuing resolution, neither the House nor the Senate advanced any funding bills,[40] as hardline Republicans successfully pushed Speaker Johnson to abandon the funding levels reached in the Fiscal Responsibility Act.[41]
On January 7, 2024, congressional leaders reached a US$1.66 trillion agreement for topline spending.[42] Following the agreement, hardline Republicans again attempted to push Johnson to abandon the deal.[43] Several senior members of congress indicated an interest in passing another continuing resolution into March to allow for more time to draw up funding bills aligned with the deal.[44] The CR was passed on January 18, 2024.[45] The CR would extend funding for the first four appropriations bills until March 1, with the remainder extended until March 8. On February 13, the Senate took their scheduled break until the 26th, and the House designated the 15th through to the 27th as a district work period. This combination meant that all appropriations bills would need to be passed in the three days between the reconvening and first deadlines.[citation needed]
March 2024 continuing resolution
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Long title | An act making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2024, and for other purposes. |
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Enacted by | the 118th United States Congress |
Citations | |
Public law | Pub.L. 118–40 (text) (PDF) |
Legislative history | |
On February 29, the House passed a short-term continuing resolution extending the funding deadline to March 8 for the first four appropriations bills in the November and January CRs, and to March 22 for the rest.[46] The bill passed the Senate as well on March 1, and was signed into law by President Biden later the same day.
First minibus
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Long title | An Act making consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes. |
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Citations | |
Public law | Pub.L. 118–42 (text) (PDF) |
Legislative history | |
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On March 3, 2024, House and Senate appropriators released a $459 billion "minibus" spending package containing six of the twelve appropriations bills. The bill provides funding for the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Interior, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. It also provides appropriations for the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other military construction.[47] Democrats cheered full funding for WIC programs and the lack of "poison pill" riders promoted by Republicans. Republicans cheered cuts to the FBI, ATF, and EPA, although Democrats contested the extent of the cuts.[48] The rightmost faction of the Republican conference harshly opposed the deal, arguing it did not contain any substantial conservative policy;[49] the proposal also drew criticism from some Democrats, who expressed concern over a provision allowing mentally incompetent veterans to buy guns in certain circumstances.[50] The minibus deal passed the House on Wednesday, March 6, and the Senate on March 8; it was signed into law by President Biden on Saturday, March 9. The passage of the bill on coincided with two other major political events that week: Super Tuesday (on Tuesday, March 5) and 2024 State of the Union Address (on Thursday, March 7).
Second minibus
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Long title | An Act making further consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes. |
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Citations | |
Public law | Pub.L. 118–47 (text) (PDF) |
Legislative history | |
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Following the passage of the first minibus, negotiators shifted to work on a second minibus bill to fund the remaining federal departments. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security emerged as a sticking point, with both parties seeking various riders related to border policy,[51] with negotiators pivoting to a full-year CR for that department, which would keep funding flat.[52] That plan ran into a last-minute pushback from the Biden administration, which wanted more funding and flexibility on the border.[52] On March 18, negotiators reached an agreement, with text to come, but due to time to come up with the text of the deal and various House and Senate procedural issues, a short partial shutdown was still considered possible.[53] The second "minibus" spending package passed the House on March 22 by a vote of 286 to 134, divided into 101 Republicans and 184 Democrats in favor and 112 Republicans and 22 Democrats against. The Senate voted 74-24 early Saturday morning on March 23 to pass the $1.2 trillion government funding bill after heated last-minute negotiations caused senators to breach the midnight deadline to avert a shutdown. While the final passage came after the midnight deadline, the Senate's actions effectively prevented any lapse in funding or government function, and the federal government is now funded through the end of the fiscal year. President Biden signed the bill on Saturday, March 23.[54]
Supplemental appropriations legislation
There were numerous proposals for supplemental appropriations, particularly for various disaster relief programs, support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, Israel in its war against Hamas, and humanitarian aid for both countries.
References
- ^ Street, 351 Pleasant; MA, Suite B. #442 Northampton. "Federal Spending: Where Does the Money Go". National Priorities Project. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- ^ French, Lauren (January 26, 2015). "9 Republicans launch House Freedom Caucus". Politico. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
- ^ Ferrechio, Susan (January 26, 2015). "Conservative lawmakers form House Freedom Caucus". Washington Examiner. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ^ Desilver, Drew (Oct 20, 2015). "House Freedom Caucus: What is it, and who's in it?". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
- ^ Eaton, Sabrina (February 11, 2015). "It's official: Rep. Jim Jordan now chairs the House Freedom Caucus". Cleveland. Archived from the original on February 16, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
- ^ "House Freedom Caucus plots return to relevance as GOP eyes majority". September 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Edmondson, Catie; Hulse, Carl; Parlapiano, Alicia (July 2, 2023). "House Republicans Demand Deep Cuts to Spending Bills They Rarely Support". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Karni, Annie (June 7, 2023). "House Is Paralyzed as Far-Right Rebels Continue Mutiny Against McCarthy". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Tsirkin, Julie; Kaplan, Rebecca; Kapur, Sahil (September 14, 2023). "McCarthy dares GOP detractors to 'file the f---ing motion' if they want to remove him". NBC News. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "President Biden's FY2024 Budget Now Available at GovInfo" (Press release). United States Government Publishing Office. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ Karni, Annie (June 7, 2023). "House Is Paralyzed as Far-Right Rebels Continue Mutiny Against McCarthy". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (June 8, 2023). "Kevin McCarthy Facing Tough Choices After House Mutiny". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Karni, Annie (June 12, 2023). "Hard Right Agrees to Allow House Votes but Threatens Continued Blockade". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Karni, Annie; Draper, Robert; Broadwater, Luke (July 25, 2023). "As Spending Fights Loom, Freedom Caucus Is at a Crossroads". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (July 27, 2023). "Divided Over Money and Policy, House G.O.P. Punts on Spending Bill". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (August 4, 2023). "Trump Indictment Presents New Obstacle in Spending Fight as Shutdown Looms". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Karni, Annie (August 16, 2023). "Schumer and McCarthy Agree Stopgap Spending Bill Necessary to Avoid Shutdown". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl; Broadwater, Luke (August 30, 2023). "McCarthy Tries to Leverage Biden Impeachment to Avoid a Shutdown". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (September 10, 2023). "Congress Embarks on Spending Battle as Shutdown Looms at End of September". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Demirjian, Karoun (September 1, 2023). "Hard Right Injects Immigration Into Spending Fight, Raising Shutdown Fears". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "These Are the Key GOP Players in the Government Shutdown Fight". TIME. 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (September 11, 2023). "McCarthy Is Under the Gun as the House Returns for a Spending Fight". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (September 14, 2023). "McCarthy Pulls Back Pentagon Spending Bill, Inching Closer to a Shutdown". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (September 17, 2023). "House G.O.P. Considers Stopgap Spending Bill to Avert a Shutdown". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (September 18, 2023). "McCarthy's Plan to Avoid a Shutdown Hits Stiff G.O.P. Opposition". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (September 19, 2023). "Right-Wing House Republicans Derail Pentagon G.O.P. Bill, Rebuking McCarthy". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl; Karni, Annie (September 20, 2023). "Republicans Inch Closer to Spending Deal, Spoiling for a Shutdown Showdown". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Hulse, Carl; Edmondson, Catie (September 26, 2023). "Senate Reaches Spending Deal to Head Off Government Shutdown". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ BURGESS EVERETT, SARAH FERRIS, CAITLIN EMMA and URSULA PERANO (September 26, 2023). "Senate moves shutdown-prevention plan that's 'not gonna happen' in House". Politico. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Bogage, Jacob; Sotomayor, Marianna (September 27, 2023). "Shutdown looks more likely, as House GOP leaders reject Senate plan". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ Wang, Amy (September 29, 2023). "House Rules Committee considering GOP-led stopgap funding bill". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ Edmondson, Catie; Guo, Kayla; Hulse, Carl (September 29, 2023). "Right Wing Tanks Stopgap Bill in House, Pushing Government Toward a Shutdown". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ Kane, Paul; McDaniel, Justine (September 29, 2023). "McCarthy says he'd support a bill without Ukraine aid or border funds". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ "Senate Voting to Keep Government Running Through Mid-November". The New York Times. September 30, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ Schapitl, Lexie (October 11, 2023). "Consensus remains elusive as Republicans try to elect a House speaker". NPR. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ Weiss, Laura; Quigley, Aidan; Lerman, David (October 10, 2023). "House GOP prepares for potentially long slog to elect speaker". Roll Call. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "House elects Mike Johnson as Speaker, ending GOP chaos". The Hill. 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
- ^ Edmondson, Catie (November 14, 2023). "House Passes Johnson's Plan to Avert Shutdown in Bipartisan Vote". The New York Times. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Bogage, Jacob (2023-11-16). "Senate passes bill to avert government shutdown, sending it to Biden to sign". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "Appropriations Status Table". crsreports.congress.gov. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ punchbowlnews (2023-12-21). "☀️ AM: How Congress jammed itself on spending". Punchbowl News. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ Bogage, Jacob (January 7, 2024). "Congressional leaders reach deal that would avert government shutdown". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ Edmondson, Catie (2024-01-10). "Conservatives Revolt Anew Over Johnson Deal to Avert Shutdown". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ Barrett, Ted (2024-01-09). "Senate Republican whip says Congress may need to pass short-term government funding bill into March | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ "Congress passes stopgap bill to prevent a shutdown until March1, sending it to Biden". NBC News. 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ Yilek, Caitlin (2024-02-29). "Congress passes short-term funding extension to avert government shutdown - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ Murray, Ashley (2024-03-05). "Five months late, Congress is poised to pass a huge chunk of federal spending". Maryland Matters. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ punchbowlnews (2024-03-04). "☀️ AM: Congress' big week: SOTU and government funding". Punchbowl News. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ Mike Lillis, Mychael Schnell (2024-03-05). "House conservatives fume over deal backed by Johnson". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "Veterans Deemed 'Mentally Incompetent' Will Gain Gun Rights Under New Funding Bill".
- ^ Emma, Caitlin; Scholtes, Jennifer; Diaz, Daniella (2024-03-06). "Inside Congress - Border battle makes appropriators nervous". Politico. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Quigley, Aidan (2024-03-14). "DHS headed for yearlong stopgap as appropriations finale comes into focus". Roll Call. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ Peller, Lauren; Pecorin, Alison (2024-03-19). "A government shutdown is looming, again. Why time is running out to avert it, despite agreement on DHS funding". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ House, The White (2024-03-23). "Press Release: Bill Signed: H.R. 2882". The White House. Retrieved 2024-03-23.
Notes
- ^ H.R. 2872 was originally meant to be a relatively unconsequential bill providing for a minor amendment to the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013; the bill passed the House in 2023, but was not initially acted upon by the Senate; in January 2024, the Senate passed the bill with an amendment which completely altered its content, turning it into a continuing appropriations act. This was done in order to circumvent the origination clause, which requires spending bills to start in the House.
External links
- Appropriations status table on Congress.gov
- Proposed budget in the GPO Budget of the United States Government collection
- Appropriations Watch: FY 2024 from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
- Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act (Pub. L. 118–15) as amended (PDF/details) in the GPO Statute Compilations collection
- Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118–22) as amended (PDF/details) in the GPO Statute Compilations collection
- Further Additional Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118–35) as enacted (PDF/details) in the US Statutes at Large
- Extension of Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118–40) as enacted (PDF/details) in the US Statutes at Large
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118–42) as enrolled (PDF/details) in the GPO Congressional Bills collection
- Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118–47) as enrolled (PDF/details) in the GPO Congressional Bills collection
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