Republicans on the Iowa Senate Appropriations Committee said Thursday a measure to provide continuing appropriations would prevent government shutdowns similar to those in Washington D.C.
Democrats said the proposal would give Republicans the ability to avoid compromising with a potential Democratic governor in future years.
Senate File 2461, approved by the committee along party lines, would establish a continuing appropriation in years when the Legislature fails to pass a budget before July 1, when the next fiscal year begins. This funding would be based on appropriations from the previous fiscal year.
The measure was amended to address how appropriations currently work in Iowa Code, Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, said. Under current law, if the General Assembly were to pass three budget bills, which were approved through the governor, but did not pass the other remaining appropriations bill by the start of the next fiscal year, “all of those budgets would automatically go to zero.”
In order to provide funding for a limited period of time outside of the annual appropriations process, lawmakers would need to pass a continuing resolution, “similar to what’s happening now with our federal government,” Kraayenbrink said.
“Basically, what this provides is a continuing resolution for any of the bills that we have not enacted for the following fiscal year that we’re supposed to be acting on right now,” Kraayenbrink said. “So, if there is a bill that does not get enacted, on appropriations, they automatically revert to the status quo budget of the previous fiscal year, so that we will not have a shutdown, so to speak, or a partial shutdown or any of those complex things that could be happening.”
Republican senators have said the measure is a means to prevent full and partial government shutdowns in Iowa, similar to the shutdowns seen in this year and in 2025 at the federal level. These federal shutdowns were brought in part by Democrats aiming to pressure President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress, who control both chambers, to act on issues like the the expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits or federal immigration enforcement restrictions.
Kraayenbrink said there are many Iowans who rely on state government funds, and that the measure would make sure they know “when they get up that morning, if we did not agree on a budget, that they’re still going to get a paycheck.”
Democrats said the proposal would mean state lawmakers do not have to accomplish their most important duty — passing a budget.
Sen. Matt Blake, D-Urbandale, said the General Assembly has “one constitutional duty,” and it is to pass a budget.
“This is saying we don’t have to do the one thing we’re supposed to do,” Blake said.
He and other Democrats have also said this bill — alongside other measures being discussed that could limit the power of governor — are coming because Republicans fear that a Democrat could win the 2026 gubernatorial election. Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is currently the frontrunner to become the Democratic candidate for governor.
“It is circumspect, it is odd, the timing of where this bill is coming forward,” Blake said. “So let’s just be straightforward, maybe a little bit, when it comes to this: this is meant to make sure … that you may not have to deal with a certain person that’s elected next year. That’s what this bill is. So, I implore everybody to vote no to make sure that we show Iowans that we can do our job, get along, and pass a budget for this state.”
Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, denied this argument, saying the measure is meant to give “legal certainty” to Iowans about how state government will continue to operate in the event that a budget agreement is not reached by the new fiscal year.
“What this does is gives Iowans the reliable, predictable answer that is in law, codified, as to how the budget will be handled, and how state government can continue to operate, in the unlikely event that a budget isn’t passed and agreed to,” Bousselot said. “I think it is not ‘politics’ to give that certainty to Iowans. It is about the people.”
House Speaker Pat Grassley said during a news conference earlier in February he believes the Iowa state government has shown “regardless if we had split control or the trifecta, that we’ve generally been able to get a budget done.” On Thursday, Grassley said he had spoken with Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh about the proposal, and while he said there was not a “resolution” reached, he understood why the proposal was brought forward
“We just don’t want to look like Washington, D.C., if there would ever be a situation where we get down to the last minute,” Grassley said.
