Congress in Crisis: Averting Shutdown at the Eleventh Hour - WSJ Analysis

It appears Congress is poised to avert a government shutdown just hours before the deadline. In every other country, if a government agency doesn’t have a budget for the new year, they just use last year’s. But in the U.S., Congress needs to pass a new budget every single year or agencies have to shut down.

Add in the lack of other opportunities to pass laws, a dysfunctional budget process and polarizing politics and… you have the threat of Congress not completing their most basic task nearly every year. WSJ explains.