As you know, we're just 18 days away from a possible government shutdown at midnight on October 1st and it remains to be seen if our Republican-controlled Congress is even capable of passing their own bills to keep the government running.
Just as it's been the case since 2011, House Republican leadership must hold a vote on a bill that can attract enough Republicans and Democrats to pass because there are far too many objectors on their own side of the aisle.
In a more sane world that would be simple, but in a world where the Freedom Caucus exists, it isn't. House leadership will feel compelled to throw the Batshit Caucus a bone lest they revolt against them during the next session of Congress.
House Republican leadership apparently has a plan to pass a bill to keep the government running and placate the fringe caucus, but I have to say this looks incredibly weak even to me.
The plan being hatched now would be to pass a continuing resolution until December along with the potential to attach legislation to fight Zika as well as the military construction appropriations bill. Then, when Congress returned after the election, leadership promises that members will be able to work on so-called "mini-buses," a collection of appropriations bills cobbled together but less expansive than the typical omnibus bill.
Congress has not passed a single appropriations bill this year so the idea that they're going to pass a wide range of them in the middle of December is actually hilarious. I just laughed out loud in my chair here.
Members of the Asshole Caucus apparently aren't buying it and I don't blame them. I don't buy it either.
I expect we will see a temporary government funding measure passed at the end of this month, but I also expect we'll see another in December. There is no reason to believe our Republican-controlled Congress is capable of reaching a consensus even among themselves.
Half a year later, I'd like to remind everyone that Speaker of the House Paul Ryan shut down the appropriations process last Spring because House Republicans insisted on allowing displays of the Confederate flag at federal cemeteries. Congressional Democrats refused to pass any legislation that excluded language to ban the Dixie flag. The appropriations process was completely shut down by Speaker Ryan to avoid further embarrassment.