This Congress's Work Is Never Done

Remember earlier this year, when Democrats and Republicans in Congress were in a panic over all the unfinished work they’d let pile up from last year—things like passing the budget of the United States of America? Remember the bitter fight that ended in a slapdash midnight agreement that barely averted a government shutdown, leaving Washington in such a poisonous state that this summer party leaders almost let the country default on its debt? Well, get ready for that again a few months from now.

As they traded swipes for much of the year over tax hikes vs. spending cuts, Congress once again allowed a huge amount of work to languish. Now that members have returned from summer vacation, they are trying to figure out how to get it all done before year’s end.