Time, not just partisanship, could soon become a major obstacle to averting a government shutdown.
Congress has 16 calendar days before the Sept. 30 funding deadline, but the actual timeline is tighter. The House and Senate are each scheduled to be in session for less than half — seven — of those days.
Anxiety on Capitol Hill is surging as lawmakers approach the end of the fiscal year without a plan to fund the government. The House voted last week to go to conference with the Senate on three appropriations bills, but they wouldn’t fund the entire government. Both ...