Congressional End-of-Year Deadlines

Having passed a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government operating through December 11, Congress now turns its attention to the remainder of its to-do list for the year. That list includes several high-priority “must do” items—including a fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget, extension of surface transportation programs, and an increase in the federal debt ceiling—as well as other items that could see action during the coming months.

This Issue Brief identifies the “must do” and “might do” items on the congressional agenda this fall. The table below summarizes the deadlines for the “must do” items. Many of the programs listed are mandatory and require a current authorization to receive new funding.