With the clock ticking nearer to a deadline just hours ahead, Congress averted late on Sept. 30 a wide-ranging shutdown of many federal programs and the furlough of more than 800,000 federal workers by approving a stopgap 45-day spending measure.
But the relief on Capitol Hill, in the form of a continuing resolution, or CR. could well be short-lived, as lawmakers now face a new deadline of Nov. 17.