Upcoming Congressional Fiscal Policy Deadlines
Updated 1/9/2024: The President signed a continuing resolution on December 21, 2024, that runs through March 14, 2025. Lawmakers will need to pass another CR or complete appropriations to avoid a government shutdown.
The next few years will include several predictable fiscal policy deadlines that will force congressional action. Many of the deadlines could bring additional costs if Congress acts irresponsibly, or they could present an opportunity for Congress to reduce deficits.
We will regularly update this tracker to help reporters, congressional staff, and others interested in fiscal policy keep tabs on major deadlines. We recommend that you bookmark it and come back to check in.
Congress may be compelled to act on each of these dates or enact short-term extensions or policy modifications to move the deadlines to buy time for action.
| Issue | Deadline | More Information |
|---|---|---|
| Debt Limit Returns | January 2, 2025 | Debt limit suspension ended on January 2, 2025; Extraordinary measures will likely allow for the government to continue to meet its obligations for several months after that date, with an "X" date possibly as late as mid-summer 2025. According to the Treasury Department, extraordinary measures will not be needed until later in January. Bipartisan Policy Center has more info on the "X" date projections here. |
| Authorization of TANF & Related Programs Expires | March 14, 2025 | As part of the most recent continuing resolution (American Relief Act), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program was extended through March 14. |
| Medicare/Medicaid Policies & Health Care Extenders | March 31, 2025 | Various Medicare & Medicaid policies and healthcare extenders expire on March 31. This includes extension of Community Health Centers, Graduate Medical Education Programs, and Medicare payments for Low-Volume Hospitals. |
| Expiration of Continuing Resolution | March 14, 2025 | As part of the most recent continuing resolution (American Relief Act), funding for discretionary spending is extended through March 14. See the CRFB's Appropriations Watch. Lawmakers must enact appropriations to avoid a full or partial shutdown of many government agencies. |
| National Flood Insurance Program Authorization Expires | March 14, 2025 | The most recent continuing resolution (American Relief Act) extended the NFIP through March 14. After that date, existing policies would continue to be serviced, but FEMA would be unable to renew existing policies or issue new policies unless NFIP authority is extended. More on NFIP. |
| CR Caps Hit Without Appropriations | April 30, 2025 | Penalty for use of a continuing resolution (CR) in FY 2025 under the Fiscal Responsibility Act, reducing both defense and nondefense funding levels by 1 percent if appropriations bills are not enacted by April 30 (It technically applies beginning in January, but sequestration order does not take effect until May. Penalty was avoided for FY 2024 through enactment of two minibus appropriations laws.) |
| Fiscal Year Ends / FRA Spending Caps Expire | September 30, 2025 | Statutory discretionary spending caps enacted in the Fiscal Responsibility Act expire. (Targets for spending that are not backed by sequestration remain through FY 2029.) There are various options to extend the caps, including the Enforce the Caps Act. |
| Agriculture and Nutrition Programs | September 30, 2025 | The most recent farm bill expired at the end of FY 2023, including crop insurance, nutrition programs such as SNAP, rural development, and agricultural research and conservation programs. The American Recovery Act/CR would extend mandatory farm bill programs through the 2025 fiscal year. Commodity programs are extended through the calendar year. |
| TCJA Individual Tax Cuts Expire | December 31, 2025 | TCJA individual income tax provisions expire. Lawmakers are discussing enacting TCJA extensions through the reconciliation process, which could add $4-5 trillion to the debt if not offset. See our Reconciliation Resources. |
| Expanded ACA Subsidies Expire | December 31, 2025 | The American Rescue Plan temporarily increased premium tax credits for assistance in buying health insurance from state-based marketplaces created by the ACA and expanded eligibility for premium tax credits to individuals with incomes exceeding 400 percent of the federal poverty line, but only through the end of 2022. The Inflation Reduction Act extended those subsidies for three years, through 2025.) |
Longer-Term Deadlines
- End of FY 2026: Surface transportation programs authorization provided by Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act expires; Export-Import Bank authorization expires
- End of FY 2027: Maternal, Infant, & Early Childhood Home Visiting expiration, Food & Drug Administration user fee programs expiration
- FY 2028: Highway Trust Fund insolvency; FAA authorization expires
- FY 2033: Social Security Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund exhaustion (combined OASI and SSDI exhaustion date is 2035).
- FY 2036: Medicare Hospital Insurance (Part A) Trust Fund exhaustion. The Medicare Trustee Report forecasts insolvency in 2036.
