A continuing resolution (CR) necessary to fund the federal government through September 30, which is the end of the fiscal year, was introduced on Tuesday by Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and ranking member Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL).  The stopgap measure is necessary to extend authorization for government spending beyond the expiration date of the current CR, which is March 27.

The Senate CR was introduced as a replacement for the version that passed the House of Representatives last week.  The House version locked in the across-the-board cuts known as the sequester through the end of the fiscal year as will the Senate version.   However, the Senate version is different from the House-passed bill in that it incorporates three more of the 12 regular appropriations bills.   The legislation would provide departments, including agriculture, commerce, homeland security, justice, defense, and veterans affairs with funding flexibility to preserve critical agency functions. The House version includes appropriations bills for the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs only.

“We must prevent a government shutdown,” Mikulski said in a prepared statement.  “Senator Shelby and I worked together on this bipartisan agreement that avoids a shutdown, complies with the Budget Control Act, improves the House CR for many critical priorities, and lets us wrap up fiscal year 2013 so we can get to next year’s budget and find a balanced solution to sequester.”

Senators John McCain (R-AZ)  and Tom Coburn (R-OK) initially put a hold on the 587-page bill because of what they said were out-of control spending provisions in the bill.  But once they released their hold, a potential logjam of amendments  held up the measure, and the Senate will continue debate on Monday.  Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) put off consideration of the measure after the two parties were unable to reach a deal over which amendments–out of nearly 100–would get a floor vote.

To fulfill the requirements of the now mandatory sequester, USDA has said it will be required to furlough federal meat inspectors.  It is estimated that USDA’s projected food inspector furlough would lead to the closure of nearly 6,300 food inspection facilities.  Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), Mark Pryor (D-AR), and Roy Blunt (R-MO) yesterday introduced an amendment that would solve the funding gap for the Food Safety and Inspection Service.  The amendment would transfer $55 million in existing agriculture funds to FSIS in order to ensure food inspectors are not furloughed.