Congressional leadership released the long-anticipated Continuing Resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown at midnight on December 20. At 1547 pages long it is a complex and convoluted piece of legislation touching on much more than simply keeping the government running.

In fact the CR itself, which funds the government through March 14th, is a mere eight pages, noticeably shorter than even the bills Table of Contents that runs a full 13 pages. In Division B, Congress tacks on a 78 page, $110+ billion  “Disaster Relief Supplemental” mostly focused on directing unbudgeted federal aid in response to natural disasters in 2023 and 2024 calendar year. But the bulk of this bill is 1450 pages of Congressional adornments added to this final legislative vehicle of the 118th Congress.

This is a legislative Christmas tree with treats for all types. From populist restrictions on investment in China to seemingly popular extensions for expiring Medicare bonus payment provisions, Divisions C through H have a little, or a lot, of something for seemingly everyone. Some, like Title XI – American Music Tourism (p 325) that mandates the Assistant Secretary of Commerce conduct a report to identify and promote travel to U.S. locations important to music tourism, are relatively innocuous. But others may have significant effects on taxpayers and federal spending. Exactly what made it into the bill and how it affects taxpayers is something TCS will be digging into.

Read the bill here.