Washington is a town that loves its holiday season traditions. The White House has its annual Christmas party, where attendees line up for their status-affirming photographs with the president. The National Zoo is illuminated for the enjoyment of families and adults alike with spiked hot cocoa. And over on Capitol Hill, the legislative branch's members scramble to make sure Congress keeps the lights on through the new year.
Unless Congress passes a funding bill before 12:01 a.m. Friday, the federal government will run out of money, prompting a decidedly unmerry shutdown. Outside a few Grinches, nobody in Washington wants to see that happen at Christmas. And yet it's only the threat of ruining the holidays that ever seems to prompt any sort of urgency from lawmakers.
This is a preview of Hayes Brown's latest article. Read the full column here.