WASHINGTON — Since Congress punted on a massive spending bill last week — opting instead to fund the government with a temporary measure — dozens of federal programs have been left in budgetary limbo, leaving some of those most dependent on government aid in the lurch.
Without a secure budget for fiscal 2011, some agencies have suspended projects long on the books, including a 27-year-old program that helps support food pantries and homeless shelters across the country. A pilot program aimed at helping the elderly stay in their homes also is on hold, while an AIDS-drug-assistance program will leave thousands on waiting lists.
The situation is the result of Congress adjourning last week without passing a single appropriations bill. Instead, lawmakers kept the federal government operating under a so-called continuing resolution that, with a few exceptions, keeps government agencies operating at 2010 funding levels until March.
But the resolution does not account for growth in demand or costs, amounting to a cutback for some agencies.
In other cases, agencies are hesitant to proceed without knowing how much money they have to work with — particularly with Republicans promising drastic cuts to discretionary spending when they take control of the House next year.
Meanwhile, federal agencies are prohibited from funding some grant programs before a full- year budget is approved.
“This ended up being the worst of all worlds for us,” said Steve Taylor, vice president of public policy at the United Way Worldwide, which administers a federally funded grant program for food pantries and shelters. The program’s 2011 allocation has been put on hold.
“People who are in desperate need of shelter and food assistance are not going to get it because of the way this is done,” he said.
Democrats blame the situation on Republicans, who yanked support for a last-chance attempt to finance the government in the waning days of Congress. Republicans called the $1.3 trillion spending bill bloated with earmarks and accused Democrats of trying to ram it through.
In its place, lawmakers passed a law that protected some programs and left others scrambling.
The resolution specifically prevented layoffs at Veterans Affairs, as well as the agency that advises the president on telecommunications policy. It protected Pell Grant scholarships to low- income students and some loans to small businesses. It froze salaries for most federal workers for two years.
It also put a hold on all funding for “non-disaster” grants, programs that would have received $4.5 billion under the bill, according to the Department of Homeland Security. That includes grants to boost security at ports and railroads, and money to states to improve law enforcement response to terrorist threats.
The resolution also froze funding at last year’s level for Head Start programs.
