What It Means for You
In the previous sections, we discussed how the budget and appropriations process funds the programs Americans rely on and the issues they care about, as well as the challenges the process faces.
It has a real impact on your life when it goes right and when it goes wrong. Keep reading to learn more.
PUBLIC INPUT
The Funding Process is Based on You
Never forget that your lawmakers are elected to represent your interests. A major way they do that is through the budget and appropriations process.
Government funding is complicated by design. That’s because it gives lawmakers time to hear from constituents and stakeholders and address a diverse set of needs.
During this process, lawmakers are supposed to hold hearings with experts, agency leaders, and interest groups to understand public concerns before making funding decisions. Debate is intended to be included in every step so lawmakers can try to make the budget reflect the needs of their voters and constituents.
What should be a give-and-take between the government and the public has turned into a game of missed deadlines and quick fixes. Instead of thoughtful consideration of the country’s needs, the process often results in continuing resolutions and government shutdowns. Here’s how both of those scenarios impact you directly.
CONTINUING RESOLUTIONS
Failing to Meet America's Evolving Needs
When the budget and appropriations process works, Congress can review how taxpayer money is spent, provide stability to important government programs, and keep up with the changing needs of Americans. When it stalls, Congress must pass a continuing resolution to keep the lights on and kick the real problem-solving down the road.
Under a continuing resolution, the government extends the previous year’s spending levels with limited adjustments. This can impact the ability for government agencies to plan ahead and adjust existing programs or plan for new ones. The longer a continuing resolution lasts, the harder it becomes for agencies to secure contracts and distribute funds for projects already underway.
While you may be wondering how that can impact individual Americans, here are ways that continuing resolutions have directly affected them in the past.
- College students received their financial aid packages late due to slowdowns at the Department of Education.
- Predominantly Black institutions experienced delays in grant awards from the Department of Education.
- Individuals with low incomes struggled to access summer cooling assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services.
- Property managers who participated in a program providing rental assistance to rural tenants experienced weeks-long payment delays from the Department of Agriculture.
In short, the budget and appropriations process is critical to meeting the country’s evolving needs, and when it is replaced with a continuing resolution, people in communities thousands of miles outside of Washington, D.C. feel the impact.
ShutdownS
Government Stops Service Delivery to Americans
Continuing resolutions can be bad for the lives of Americans, but government shutdowns are worse. To understand what’s at stake, let’s consider the 2025 government shutdown.
A partial shutdown began on October 1, 2025, after Congress was unable to pass all 12 appropriations bills before the start of FY 2026. As a result, nine executive agencies suspended non-essential operations. The shutdown lasted 43 days, making it the longest in U.S. history at the time, and at least 670,000 federal employees were furloughed, while another 730,000 continued working without pay. Communities across the country were impacted. For example:
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) temporarily ran out of funding, leaving nearly 42 million low-income Americans struggling to purchase food for two weeks.
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents and air traffic controllers continued working without pay for six weeks. In protest, some of the impacted employees called in “sick," contributing to longer airport security lines and major flight delays.
- The Department of Agriculture (USDA) suspended much of its work. With two-thirds of the Farm Service Agency furloughed, farmers lost access to disaster assistance, production loans, and income support programs.
- The Small Business Administration (SBA) was unable to distribute $5.3 billion in loans intended for 10,000 small businesses nationwide.
These examples show why the government funding process is so important. When funding decisions are completed on time, critical services remain stable, federal workers are paid, and Americans can continue to depend on the government.
