Congress Passes Government Funding Bill
Issue Date: March 19, 2025
On Friday, March 14 Congress narrowly averted a federal government shutdown by passing a Continuing Resolution, or “CR” to fund the government through September 30, 2025. At $1.7 trillion, the bill largely keeps government funding level with that of 2024, while increasing defense spending by $6 billion and reducing non-defense spending by about $13 billion. The bill also increases spending for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by $4.6 billion. Critically this HUD funding includes money to fund HUD’s Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA), funding for programs that provide affordable housing for seniors and the disabled, and the Community Development Fund which finances the Community Block Grant Development (CDBG) program.
The CR to fund the government includes an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), also through September 30, 2025. NAR has long advocated for a long-term NFIP reauthorization separate from government funding bills to avoid a lapse in the program. If a shutdown did occur due to inability to pass a funding bill, the NFIP would not be able to sell or renew flood insurance policies during the shutdown. Existing policies would remain in effect until their expiration date, and renewal applications for policies received ahead of the shutdown would generally be issued. Private, non-NFIP backed flood insurance policies. To learn more about the impact of a lapse in the NFIP, visit NAR’s “FAQ: National Flood Insurance Program Expires September 30, 2025.”
NAR continues to monitor the government funding and to advocate for Congress to pass a long-term funding solution to keep the government operating fully.