U.S. Federal Government Open—for Now

Yesterday evening, the U.S. Congress passed a stopgap measure to keep much of the federal government running for another week. Funding for the FDA, the Department of Agriculture, and many other departments and agencies was set to run out at midnight tonight, but the deadline to finalize the fiscal year 2024 budget for these groups has been extended to March 8. Lawmakers have until March 22 to wrap up the budget for the balance of federal offices—including the NIH, NCI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Until then, all federal operations will continue their activities at fiscal year 2023 spending levels.