OPINION: Shutdown Delayed

Congress planned to take this week off, so it was mighty inconvenient that the federal fiscal year ends this weekend and none of the spending bills have been passed.

A plan to keep government open until mid-November ran into a snag, when the House and Senate disagreed over 1/10th of 1 percent of the annual budget.

But they didn’t want to cancel travel plans, so a typical Washington compromise was brokered. They’re approving a four-day extension of the spending deadlines, so they can come back in a week and start all over again—but still with no solution in sight.

In fairness, the House keeps passing bills to do something, and the Senate keeps refusing to do anything. Even what President Obama calls his jobs bill is getting ignored by his fellow Democrats. Obama may be in a hurry, but the U.S. Senate certainly is not.

From The Heritage Foundation, I’m Ernest Istook.

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