Congress’s Endless Funding Fandango

The latest congressional funding bill is another example of Washington’s inability to govern itself. The House’s passage of a short-term bipartisan funding measure on Tuesday has pushed the fight over full-year legislation past the November midterm elections, with funding set to expire on December 11.

The Senate approved a similar bill in early August, but it took the House until now to catch up, thanks to their lengthy summer break. This stopgap measure is just another Band-Aid on a much larger wound – the complete breakdown of the appropriations process in Congress. Since April, the House Appropriations Committee has been working on all 12 annual funding bills, but only three have made it out of committee and onto the full House floor.

Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma attributes the lack of progress to Senate Democrats, saying “There’s no excuse for not having a single one done.” However, this argument ignores the fact that Congress has been stuck in this cycle for years – partisan gridlock and ideological differences have brought appropriations to a near-standstill.

The latest funding bill includes concessions from Senate Democrats, including restrictions on Border Patrol funding and a provision closing a loophole allowing the Trump administration to transfer funds. But these are temporary fixes, and the larger problem of Congress’s inability to pass full-year legislation remains.

This situation has far-reaching consequences for everyday Americans and lawmakers alike. Without a solution, another shutdown could have serious repercussions. As it stands now, Congress is headed into crunch time, with no guarantee they’ll be able to deliver a workable funding bill.

The irony is that while Congress struggles to pass full-year funding bills, the House has been advancing other legislation – including bills to extend government surveillance powers and allow more offshore oil drilling. This suggests that some lawmakers are prioritizing partisan victories over the hard work of governance.

As voters head into the final stretch of the campaign season, they have a right to question whether their elected representatives can be trusted to do the right thing when it comes to funding the government. The consequences of congressional ineptitude are severe – from the effects on everyday Americans to the damage done to lawmakers’ reputations. It’s time for Congress to get its act together and pass full-year legislation once and for all.