Night falls at the the Capitol in Washington in this Dec. 2, 2021 file photo. Last week Congress again passed a spending pecker to fund the authorities, this time until September. Credit: J. Scott Applewhite

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Congress acted only in fourth dimension this by week to avoid a government shutdown. If yous feel similar you read most this happening merely a few weeks ago, you're not imagining it. It is something of a tendency in Washington.

First, some skillful news: Lawmakers avoided the unnecessary pain of a shutdown. The spending bill includes more than than $200 one thousand thousand for projects in Maine. It includes $xiv billion in aid for Ukraine. And dissimilar shorter-term funding measures passed in September, December and February, this $1.5 trillion "omnibus" packet of dissimilar spending areas provides funding through this coming September.

In theory, that gives appropriators somewhat of a hazard to get back on schedule in terms of passing the  12 private appropriations bills earlier the start of the side by side financial year.  Contempo history doesn't inspire much confidence that this will actually happen. Simply it should.

Lawmakers have consistently struggled to pass the individual appropriations bills on time. And, yet, apparently, they and their staff were able to consider and vote on an omnibus beak of more than 2,700 pages in less than two days.

Asked about the process of passing such a big bill with such picayune time for review, Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, said that information technology "stinks." To exist fair, the entire procedure has stunk for quite some time.

Here'south what we had to say in February, when last month's continuing resolution (CR) reminded us of the movie "Groundhog Day":

"Congress needs to stop jumping from ane shutdown borderline to another. It's a procedure that makes most every bit much sense as relying on a rodent to predict the weather every February," the editorial lath wrote. "Sure, it almost seems normal at this point. But that doesn't mean it works."

We had nearly exactly the aforementioned thing to say in 2019:

"The federal government may not be experiencing the same day over and over, simply it does seem trapped in an unproductive, irresponsible cycle of short-term funding bills that just barely avert a government shutdown," nosotros wrote.

And sadly, non much has changed since March of 2011:

"Earlier this calendar week'southward recess, Congress passed another standing resolution — a measure out to fund the government in the short term. This is the 6th continuing resolution since Dec 2010. The resolution will go along the government funded and operational for three weeks, at which time lawmakers probable will prefer another CR considering they will be nowhere nearly addressing existent upkeep problems," the editorial board wrote at the time. "Both parties agree that serious talks about the future of federal spending and the deficit should brainstorm after the resolution is passed. They disagree, however, on what spending realms should be a priority. This tin't be immune to sidetrack this overdue work."

There continue to be real consequences to this broken budgeting process. Whether you're a pigeon or a hawk, want to shrink the size of government or think Congress should be spending more money to accost unmet needs, there is something for anybody to hate in how this unfolds time and once again.

"Operating nether a CR or the possibility of a shutdown, or both, creates dubiousness, complicates agency operations, and leads to inefficiencies," a 2018 report from the U.S. Regime Accountability Function said.

"The short-term bills neutralize the government'due south significant buying power. Inconsistent and uncertain payments to agencies force them to purchase fewer items at a fourth dimension, rather than paying in accelerate for bulk orders at lower prices," Sean Kennedy, the manager of policy and research at non-profit group Citizens Against Government Waste matter wrote in a recent opinion slice for the Hill. "New programs cannot be initiated, and agencies cannot change existing acquisition plans on the wing. CRs create delays and raise costs for multi-yr projects and disrupt the onboarding of new employees."

Once more, it is a good thing that Congress reached a deal on the charabanc parcel (not another CR) and funded the government through September. The alternative of a shutdown was no alternative at all. Just that doesn't change the fact that the overall budget process has been a lousy ane.

Congress has a way of buying itself more fourth dimension without spending it wisely. Lawmakers need to go the federal budget process dorsum on track and cease jumping from one last-minute deal to the next.

The Bangor Daily News editorial board members are Publisher Richard J. Warren, Editorial Page Editor Susan Young, Banana Editorial Page Editor Matt Junker and BDN President Todd Benoit. Young has worked... More by The BDN Editorial Board