Whatever Congress did or didn’t do by midnight last night in either facing or dodging its financial responsibilities, the threat of a government shutdown was proof that many lawmakers are disgustingly irresponsible.
The Constitution says in Article I, Section 8, “The Congress shall have Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States … .”
That Congress has not always been responsible in its duty is indicated by the fact that it has run up a national debt of more than $14 trillion!
That’s the long-range view.
But the short-range view is that while Congress has the responsibility of providing the finances for the delegated functions of the U.S. government – in both domestic and foreign affairs – it has not done so in a wise and timely fashion.