Spending Bills Await Congress

Congress returns to work this week facing a full plate of business left over from before its August recess, including the need to complete work on the 13 annual spending bills to keep the government funded in the fiscal year that starts October 1. Many of those bills have made only limited progress, raising speculation that once again the government will resort to stopgap “continuing resolutions” to keep the doors open until final legislation is enacted. Both political parties seem determined not to repeat the occurrences of the past when disagreements caused temporary shutdowns-with resulting furloughs of employees, who were later paid as if they had worked-but budget season often becomes a time of political brinksmanship. Congress earlier this year set a tentative goal of adjourning for the year in early October, although Capitol Hill officials say the session could easily spill over into early November or beyond.