This resolution would fund the federal government through December 11, 2015. If Congress fails to authorize spending for fiscal year 2016 by the September 30, 2015 deadline, the federal government will enter a partial shutdown beginning on October 1, 2015. 

This bill, originally the Hire More Heroes act, has been changed through the Senate amendment process to serve as a "legislative vehicle": once before for congressional disapproval of the Iran nuclear agreement, and now for FY2016 Continuing Appropriations.  

Looming deadline situations like these often lead Congress to pass a continuing resolution, essentially keeping the government running at the same funding levels from the previous year.

Funding for the federal government would be capped to comply with the spending limits imposed by the Budget Control Act (a.k.a. the sequester) for fiscal year 2016 — a cool $1.017 trillion. Of this, $74.75 billion would be available for Overseas Contingency Operations (like military deployments). $700 million in emergency funding would also be set aside for wildfire suppression to help the western U.S.

Several expiring authorizations would be extended for the duration of the continuing resolution, including:

• The Internet Tax Freedom Act: preventing the taxation of internet access by all levels of government;

• E-Verify: a program used to verify whether workers are legally authorized to work in the U.S.;

• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): authorized for a total of six months — about four months longer than the continuing resolution.

There are other unique circumstances that this continuing resolution addresses related to programs that would have lapsed in the absence of funding, including:

• Support for veterans’ disability claims processors to maintain the processing level necessary to address the backlog of claims;

• Keeping up with the launch schedule for the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS);

• Paying ongoing rental assistance contracts through rural housing programs;

• Accommodating increased demand for 7(a) small business loans.

For one year after this CR is enacted, federal funds would be cut for Planned Parenthood and its affiliates — unless they certify that they will stop performing abortions for that year. If Planned Parenthood and its affiliates refuse to temporarily stop offering abortions, the approximately $235 million in federal savings would be used to increase funding for community health centers.