Eye on the ball, Paul!

"History is always a marker to predict the future. And our history in getting meaningful budgets signed into law on time is dismal at best. We can do better folks - we really can. This time we have a President who is going to demand that we do."

There are only 115 days (working and otherwise) remaining. Until what? Until the start of the new government fiscal year (GFY 19). So what Bird? This is summer! A drop dead gorgeous June day in Minnesota is ahead of us! True that, I would say. But the clock is ticking. Soon it will be less than a hundred days until October 1st. In that legislatively short period of time, we need to pass a meaningful budget. And a meaningful budget consists of twelve different funding items. As of June 7th, we are way, way behind the power curve (again).

Speaker Ryan - what are you working on these days? DACA? Again? Why? Oh - the optics for the upcoming election. The people in your base don't care about fabricated immigration issues. Why? Because the folks in the other base are ready to hit us over the head with it - no matter what the fix is (short of unconditional amnesty). Here is the bottom line. Article One of the Constitution mandates Congress to come up with a new budget every year. Not a CR. Not a "kick it down the road" document - a real budget. Like I said - the clock is ticking.

I know. I know. We are our own worst enemy. Maybe the terms (constitutionally) for a House Representative should have been four years instead of two. Why? It seems half of the two year team is spent trying to get re-elected. That is why Congress can't wait until summer recess. They need to get home to campaign and be in parades. 

President Trump has been as clear as a bell about this year's budget. He will NOT sign a CR. He will NOT sign a piece of garbage like was presented to him last year. He WILL shut down the government if no "signable" budget is presented to him prior to October 1, 2018. Mitch already said he might cancel summer recess if work needs to be done. What say you Mr. Speaker?

Let me put on my soothsayer hat for just a minute and peer into the future:

• Congress will not come up with a DACA fix which is agreeable to both sides of the aisle (as well as the President). This exercise will prove to be a huge waste of valuable time.
• By October 1, only a handful of funding documents will be ready for President Trump's signature (the easy ones). The rest will be nowhere near ready to be signed into law.
• Funding for the Wall will be absent again this year. For that reason alone, the President said he would shut down the government.
• The government shuts down at 12:01 am on October 1, 2018. Does not re-open until after Christmas. All hell breaks loose in Washington.

I hope I am wrong on this issue. I really do. But history is always a marker to predict the future. And our history in getting meaningful budgets signed into law on time is dismal at best. We can do better folks - we really can. This time we have a President who is going to demand that we do.