With just hours to spare before a midnight deadline, Congress approved a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) to extend government funding until after the November elections. The Senate passed the CR on Wednesday evening by a vote of 84-10 after the House overwhelmingly approved it last week (359-57), and the President signed the measure into law.

The CR extends FY20 funding levels through December 11 – punting negotiations on FY21 spending bills to the lame duck session of Congress. While the House approved ten of its twelve FY21 spending bills this summer, including the State-Foreign Operations bill that funds the vast majority of the International Affairs Budget, the Senate has yet to take action on any FY21 appropriations bills.

Additionally, the CR extends important authorities to ensure the State Department, USAID, and other international affairs agencies can continue to operate successfully during the period of the CR. However, it does not contain critical new emergency funding to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including urgently needed resources for the international response.

As COVID-19 continues to spread across the U.S. and around the world, USGLC urges Congress and the Administration to reach a bipartisan deal to provide critical emergency relief – including at least $20 billion for the international response – to protect the health, safety, and economic recovery of Americans at home and the most vulnerable worldwide.