Congress rarely passes all spending bills on time
% of stand-alone appropriations legislation enacted on or before Oct. 1 of each fiscal year
Note: Although each federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, bills enacted by or on Oct. 1 are considered to be “on time.”
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of legislative data from the Congressional Research Service.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Congress rarely passes all spending bills on time
% of stand-alone appropriations legislation enacted on or before Oct. 1 of each fiscal year
| Fiscal year | On-time percentage |
|---|---|
| 1977 | 100% |
| 1978 | 69% |
| 1979 | 38% |
| 1980 | 23% |
| 1981 | 8% |
| 1982 | 8% |
| 1983 | 8% |
| 1984 | 31% |
| 1985 | 31% |
| 1986 | 0% |
| 1987 | 0% |
| 1988 | 0% |
| 1989 | 100% |
| 1990 | 8% |
| 1991 | 0% |
| 1992 | 23% |
| 1993 | 8% |
| 1994 | 15% |
| 1995 | 100% |
| 1996 | 0% |
| 1997 | 100% |
| 1998 | 8% |
| 1999 | 8% |
| 2000 | 31% |
| 2001 | 15% |
| 2002 | 0% |
| 2003 | 0% |
| 2004 | 23% |
| 2005 | 8% |
| 2006 | 18% |
| 2007 | 9% |
| 2008 | 0% |
| 2009 | 25% |
| 2010 | 8% |
| 2011 | 0% |
| 2012 | 0% |
| 2013 | 0% |
| 2014 | 0% |
| 2015 | 0% |
| 2016 | 0% |
| 2017 | 8% |
| 2018 | 0% |
| 2019 | 42% |
| 2020 | 0% |
| 2021 | 0% |
| 2022 | 0% |
| 2023 | 0% |
| 2024 | 0% |
| 2025 | 0% |
Note: Although each federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, bills enacted by or on Oct. 1 are considered to be “on time.”
Source: Pew Research Center analysis of legislative data from the Congressional Research Service.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
