Originally posted at Capital Gains and Games.

Just a reminder as the House and Senate resume the battle (“negotiating” just doesn’t fit this situation) today over the continuing resolution: the issue that really should be the focus is the length of time this CR will be in place.

As I said last Tuesday, there is absolutely no practical reason the CR shouldn’t be for the whole year rather than just until November 18 as House Republicans are insisting.  The spending level for the year was agreed to in the Budget Control Act that was adopted on August 2 and both parties should be required to maintain the deal they agreed to way back then, that is, a mere seven weeks ago.  There’s no reason to have a short-term CR with that spending cap in place.  The only reason is that the GOP wants to continue to be able to use the threat of a government shutdown multiple times in the future to get policies in place that otherwise would never be considered let alone adopted.

This is not good budgeting or management.  It’s nothing more than fiscal terrorism.