IFPTE Letter to Senate on Passing Government Funding Reminds Congress It is Failing to Protect Its Power of the Purse
On Monday evening, IFPTE sent a letter to the Senate providing qualified support for a continuing resolution (CR), the “Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026,” to fund the government to January 30, 2026 and reminded Senators that this CR is not “clean” so long as it does not protect the Legislative Branch’s power as a co-equal branch of government.
The Senate moved the bill forward on a procedural cloture vote, which needs 60 votes, on Sunday and was passed by the Senate on Monday night with the same 60 votes. IFPTE’s letter notes that, “Ending this shutdown is long overdue, and this bipartisan deal, while far from optimal, should be passed at this point.”
The CR includes a prohibition on federal agencies conducting Reductions in Force (RIFs) during the term of the CR, which IFPTE fully supports. IFPTE also applauded the inclusion of three of the twelve Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills in the CR, including the Legislative Branch appropriations bill “that maintain current funding levels and will allow agencies such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to provide authoritative and objective information to Congress and support Congressional oversight and accountability over the federal government.”
Before the lapse in government funding that started on October 1 and throughout the shutdown, “IFPTE has consistently requested that Congress work towards a moderate and rational bipartisan position to protect the Legislative Branch’s constitutional power under the Appropriations Clause and Spending Clause,” the letter stated. Unfortunately, this CR does nothing to reaffirm and uphold Congress’s power of the purse. Language to protect Congress’s power was proposed by Senate Appropriations Committee Vice-Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) in the Democratic-backed bill to provide short term government funding that was introduced on September 17.
However, just before the CR passed on Monday night, two Senate “motions to table” and force votes on amendments were offered: one motion to table from Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) requested improvements to the CR to protect Congress’s power of the purse, which reflects IFPTE’s priority request, and the other motion to table from Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) requested an amendment to extend ACA health insurance tax credit that will expire and spike insurance costs for 22 million Americans. Both motions received 47 votes from the full Senate Democratic caucus, short of the 60 votes needed.
IFPTE expects this CR to be passed by the House of Representatives later this week, which will end the government shutdown, which is now the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Once enacted, IFPTE is committed to passing the remaining 9 appropriations bills for FY26 and continuing our strong advocacy for protections from unlawful Executive Branch that infringes on Congress’s constitutional power.