Congress has 10 days left to approve a short-term government funding bill before the shutdown deadline, though leaders in the Republican House and Democratic Senate have not felt the need to start negotiations just yet. Leaning on a stopgap spending bill has been a regular part of Congress’ annual appropriations process for nearly three decades. During that time, lawmakers have consistently failed to approve all the full-year government funding bills before the Oct. 1 deadline, when the new fiscal year begins for the federal government.
Election year: The September struggle to approve a continuing resolution, which is intended to give lawmakers a bit more time to reach bicameral agreement on the full-year spending bills, has become increasingly dramatic with election-year politics. Nonetheless, avoiding a government shutdown and its far-reaching economic implications should be top priority for our elected officials in Washington.
