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When was the first continuing resolution passed in US history?
Executive summary
The modern practice called a “continuing resolution” (CR) — a temporary law that extends prior-year appropriations when Congress has not enacted regular appropriations by October 1 — is rooted in 20th-century budget practice and became commonplace after the 1970s budget reforms; congressional research shows detailed CR data starting in FY1977 and notes the pattern of CR usage back through earlier decades [1] [2]. Available sources do not explicitly state a single “first” continuing resolution in U.S. history by name or date; the Congressional Research Service materials and related summaries focus on CR usage patterns, classification, and the modern rise of CRs rather than asserting a definitive first enactment [1] [2].
1. How “continuing resolution” is defined and why historians treat its origin as gradual
A continuing resolution is legally a continuing appropriations act that temporarily funds federal programs at prior-year levels or by a formula when the regular appropriations have not been enacted by the start of the fiscal year; CRS and similar explanations emphasize CRs’ six typical features and that they “continue certain programs and activities” until final bills are passed [1]. Research reports and legal overviews treat CRs as a legislative tool that evolved over time rather than a one-off invention with a single origin, which is why available sources catalog CR use by era (for example, FY1977–FY2025 tables) instead of citing a single first CR [1] [2].
2. Congressional Research Service: the modern record begins in the 1970s
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) compiles tables showing the timing and frequency of CR enactments from FY1977 through FY2025 and describes common features and types of CRs across that period, indicating that comprehensive, standardized records and the current CR practice are most visible from the late 1970s onward [1]. CRS reporting frames CRs as a regular part of the post-1974 budget era, which followed major budget process changes; because CRS tabulations start in FY1977, many modern accounts treat that period as the baseline for systematic CR statistics [1] [2].
3. Academic and policy summaries emphasize gradual increase, not a single start date
EveryCRSReport and other syntheses explain that full-year CRs and formula-based CRs were common prior to FY1983, and that Congress shifted its CR practices over time (e.g., abandonment of formulaic references beginning around FY1983), reinforcing the notion of evolution rather than a single origin [2]. Policy groups and research starters trace CR usage back further — noting use increased since the 1970s and that stopgap funding devices existed in earlier eras — but these accounts stop short of pinpointing one first CR statute as the origin [2] [3].
4. Why it’s hard to name “the first” CR: record-keeping and changing labels
Historical appropriations often extended funding through riders, stopgap acts, omnibus measures, or ad hoc extensions; the label “continuing resolution” and the standard CR structure we recognize today became regularized with modern budget procedure and reporting [2]. Sources available here compile and analyze CRs primarily from the modern budget era; they present detailed tables and classifications beginning in the late 20th century rather than a single founding law [1] [2].
5. Competing perspectives and what different sources emphasize
CRS focuses on classification, timing, and the legal mechanics of CRs and provides comprehensive FY1977–FY2025 tables [1]. Policy organizations and research sites (EveryCRSReport, EBSCO, GAO summaries, think tanks) highlight the operational impacts and historical increase in CR use since the 1970s, noting that CRs became a routine way to avoid shutdowns [2] [4] [3]. These sources agree on the evolutionary nature of CRs; none in the provided set claims an unequivocal “first” CR enactment with a firm date or chapter-and-verse citation [1] [2].
6. If you need a definitive first-CR date: limitations and next steps
Available sources do not mention a single, universally recognized first continuing resolution law. To identify a specific earliest statute would require primary-source legislative history or older Congressional Serial Set records not included here; the CRS tables and policy summaries provide the clearest starting point for modern CR analysis and suggest focusing on the post-1974 budget era as the period when CRs became standardized [1] [2]. If you want, I can search for primary legislative acts (e.g., 19th- and early 20th-century appropriations acts or stopgap measures) in historical Congressional records to try to locate the earliest instance labeled or functioning as a CR — indicate whether to proceed.