Tell Congress:  Keep FY 2023 Budget on Track

No Government Shutdowns, No Long-term CRs

Dear ,

Friday, September 30, 2022, marks the end of the current federal fiscal year, and Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 begins at the stroke of midnight October 1. Congress is a long way from completing its work on the FY 23 appropriations bills, however, to keep the Federal government running, passage of a stopgap continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government must be approved by September 30.

It had been anticipated that Congress would pass a CR to fund the government through mid-December. However, such an agreement has evidently stalled, raising the specter of either a government shutdown or passage of a year-long CR—meaning all programs would be funded at FY 2022 levels for another year, wiping out any planned increases at agencies important to the population sciences, such as the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, the Census Bureau and others.

Funding disruptions caused by long-term CRs—or, worse, government shutdowns—can wreak havoc on federally funded research and data collection. Longitudinal surveys are disrupted, jeopardizing respondent participation and ultimately data quality. Research projects may be postponed or cancelled, which can also impact the livelihood and training careers of graduate students and administrative staff.

Congress needs to hear from constituents that government shutdowns and long-term CRs are not acceptable. We strongly encourage you to tell your Senators and Representatives to keep the FY 2023 budget on track:  no shutdowns, no long-term CRs.