Editorial Board
The Perils of Lame-Duck Fiscal Policy
A last-minute deal suits Democrats and Republicans alike. Voters will be less impressed.
Just-in-time budget mismanagement.
Photographer: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
With a government shutdown looming, legislators from both parties are applauding each other for reaching agreement on a last-minute something-for-everyone spending bill. They call it an omnibus measure but the term seems too modest. The plan weighs in at 4,155 pages — how many of the people declaring victory have actually read it? — and ranges far beyond budget matters. This now-standard procedure is deliberately unintelligible to voters and a parody of fiscal incompetence. It’s enough to bring bipartisanship into disrepute.
Here’s the good news: It could’ve been worse.