Mark Twain once noted that, “History may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” For some reason that refrain keeps circling back to my brain whenever Congress engages in one of its CR binges (short for: continuing appropriations resolutions).

I have labeled this column a “CR Circus,” not to ridicule its varied colorful and acrobatic components, but rather to focus on it as a vital bridge to a more stable and functioning government. The circular nature of the CR process refers to its recurring use to provide for continuing governance: Think of those 12 white stallions, galloping in circles inside the center ring at the circus. The center ring of the appropriations process is a cacophony of competing interests, demands and ideologies, all clamoring for attention and their perceived fair share of the pie.

It is not surprising to this D.C. denizen of over a half-century that CRs have become a regular feature of the congressional budget process, even though they are not refenced in the budget act as being a regular step in that process. Their purpose is to keep the government functioning if Congress has not enacted all of the 12 regular appropriations bills by the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1.

That’s why they are........

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