Congress Promises To Deal With It Later But Never Does

Impact

There’s nothing like kicking the can down the road, at least according to the United States Senate. The original continuing resolution that the Senate sent to the House would simply fund the government for six weeks – but as we know now, the House didn’t like that plan. So now some members of the Senate are considering a resolution that would fund the government for one week. Because why solve a problem now if you can do it later?

This is the thinking that has led us to the mess we’re in now. Remember when the government almost shut down in 2011? Remember all the debt ceiling talks that resulted in the sequester? The government keeps punting on the issue, raising the stakes each time. When was the last time Congress passed a budget? The closest thing in the last five years was the omnibus spending bill passed in 2009.

So regardless of the outcome of today, whether the government shuts down at midnight or not, this won’t be the last time we have this conversation. Even if Congress finds a solution today, tomorrow, or next week, it’ll simply be a promise to figure it out later.