With the possibility of another government shutdown looming before the end of the month, Congress appears likely to take the easy way out: spend more money on everything.
The House of Representatives passed a set of spending bills on Thursday afternoon that would keep the government open through the end of the fiscal year in September. If those bills make it through the Senate and become law (a process that could be complicated by a major winter storm that is approaching Washington, D.C.), they would hike total discretionary spending to $1.7 trillion this year. That would be a $24 billion increase from a year ago.
