Under the Budget Act, if the president does not sign an [[appropriations bill]] by midnight September 30, Congress then passes a Continuing Resolution to avoid a shutdown that keeps current spending levels going to states and localities and other recipients until agreement is reached and the president signs the bill.<ref>http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/policy/federal/Budgetbackgrounder.pdf</ref> In some cases, continuing resolutions have kept the government operating for years along a previously established baseline without agreement on a formal budget for the current year. | Under the Budget Act, if the president does not sign an [[appropriations bill]] by midnight September 30, Congress then passes a Continuing Resolution to avoid a shutdown that keeps current spending levels going to states and localities and other recipients until agreement is reached and the president signs the bill.<ref>http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/policy/federal/Budgetbackgrounder.pdf</ref> In some cases, continuing resolutions have kept the government operating for years along a previously established baseline without agreement on a formal budget for the current year. |