So, how did we end up in this predicament yet again? Let me explain… 

The ongoing fiscal year will conclude on September 30th, which means that any ongoing government funding will expire. To prevent a government shutdown, lawmakers need to finalize the 12 annual spending bills necessary to fund agencies for the year 2024. However, the process is far from completion due to conflicts in both the House and Senate.

Out of the 12 required bills, the House has managed to pass only one, and several Republicans are delaying their votes due to disagreements about the budget. 

One example: A group of 15 House Republicans from Texas have rightfully pledged to vote against any bill funding the Department of Homeland Security unless changes to U.S. border and migration policies are incorporated.

To exacerbate the situation further, the Biden Administration has ignited tensions by requesting $40 billion in supplemental funding, including $24 billion for Ukraine. This move is expected to anger Republicans who are seeking budget cuts, consequently leading to more delays in passing the 12 annual spending bills.

As a result of the delays taking place, yet another stopgap spending bill has been introduced.

This proposed stopgap spending bill has garnered general unanimous support, even securing backing from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The bill's purpose is to extend government funding through December 2023, surpassing the initial September 30th deadline. This extension is intended to provide the House and Senate with additional time to deliberate and finalize the 12 annual spending bills currently under discussion.

However, here lies a significant concern, or perhaps a source of hilarity. Congress has resorted to employing this stopgap measure for the past two years! Two years that they've needed to rely on the stopgap bill, while failing to address the real issue - balancing the budget. 

Meanwhile, federal spending has escalated, driving our nation deeper into debt than ever before in its history. Year after year, new proposals for annual spending bills emerge, funding requests are made, and valuable resources are squandered on endeavors that do not directly benefit the United States.

Consider Ukraine, for instance. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, since the onset of the war, the Biden administration and the U.S. Congress has allocated over $75 BILLION to Ukraine, with an additional request for $24 BILLION. This is incredulous – are we really throwing away BILLIONS OF DOLLARS when our nation is deeply in debt?

It's no wonder that there's widespread disagreement and resistance to voting on the annual spending bills when so much funding is being directed towards overseas conflicts, while inadequate attention is given to our nation's internal problems. 

Congress's pattern of applying temporary solutions only masks its failure to effectively balance the budget. The ongoing cycle of these stopgap bills, similar to the previous two years, is exacerbating the situation; they aren't doing anything meaningful, they aren't solving the real problem at hand, they aren't doing their JOB and taking care of this country by BALANCING THE BUDGET.