Congress needs to work to avoid government shutdown

While fights over health care and tax reform may dominate the headlines in the nation’s capitol, the only real job of members of the United States Congress is to pass a budget and keep the government operating. Yet once again, the U.S. faces the real possibility of a federal government shutdown. In fact, Congress has just 8 days to pass a new spending resolution, or the lights go off in D.C. It appears likely Congress will do no more than pass a stopgap spending measure to keep the lights on for two more weeks and put off the difficult decisions until the end of the year. Even then, Congress will not do what is long overdue, passing a spending bill that continues to fund government operations without the use of stopgap spending bills and continuing resolutions. The likelihood of another government shutdown appears real. President Trump has tweeted insults at democrats, and the top democrats in the House and Senate chose not to show up at a scheduled negotiation meeting with the President. Plus Congress is still trying to wrap up work on a tax reform bill. Expecting them to walk and chew gum at the same time seems unlikely given that so far Congress seems unable to either walk or chew gum. The clock is ticking, and Congress needs to get legislation passed to keep the federal government running. After all, it is the only real requirement of their job.