Congress returns with not much time to dodge a government shutdown

When Congress returns to Washington on Tuesday, lawmakers will have around four weeks to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. It’s still unclear how — or whether — they’ll pull it off.

Most congressional leaders acknowledge they’ll probably need to pass a short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution, given the time crunch. Government funding expires at the end of the day on Sept. 30, and much of the government would close without action.