You do not have to be a baseball fan to appreciate one of Yogi Berra’s “isms”: “It’s getting late early.” Nor do you have to be an elected Democrat sitting on Capitol Hill, or in the Oval Office for that matter, to know that the political party is facing significant deadlines in the coming week that affect trillions of dollars and millions of Americans.

On September 30 at 11:59 p.m., the federal government will officially shut down as a result of the U.S. Congress passing zero of the 12 spending bills known as appropriations. Democrats on Capitol Hill are struggling to even pass an extension to temporarily keep the lights on. For those who think shutting down the government is a good thing, estimates on the low end are that a shutdown causes a loss of $12 million per hour in forgone GDP.

In a self-imposed deadline, Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised moderates a vote September 27 on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework. Sources indicate it lacks the votes to pass with progressives objecting and the Speaker now indicating she will delay that vote. The $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill that includes tax increases to support additional government spending is hitting roadblocks with moderates and is unlikely to see a vote the week of September 27 as intended.

The other deadline facing a divided Democratic Party and U.S. Congress is increasing the nation’s borrowing limit or suspending the debt ceiling as was done for two years on October 1, 2019. Regardless of which team you root or play, we all know this: Democrats, and possibly the rest of us, may be in for a rough week.

You do not have to be a baseball fan to appreciate one of Yogi Berra’s “isms”: “It’s getting late early.” Nor do you have to be an elected Democrat sitting on Capitol Hill, or in the Oval Office for that matter, to know that the political party is facing significant deadlines in the coming week that affect trillions of dollars and millions of Americans.

On September 30 at 11:59 p.m., the federal government will officially shut down as a result of the U.S. Congress passing zero of the 12 spending bills known as appropriations. Democrats on Capitol Hill are struggling to even pass an extension to temporarily keep the lights on. For those who think shutting down the government is a good thing, estimates on the low end are that a shutdown causes a loss of $12 million per hour in forgone GDP.

In a self-imposed deadline, Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised moderates a vote September 27 on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework. Sources indicate it lacks the votes to pass with progressives objecting and the Speaker now indicating she will delay that vote. The $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill that includes tax increases to support additional government spending is hitting roadblocks with moderates and is unlikely to see a vote the week of September 27 as intended.

The other deadline facing a divided Democratic Party and U.S. Congress is increasing the nation’s borrowing limit or suspending the debt ceiling as was done for two years on October 1, 2019. Regardless of which team you root or play, we all know this: Democrats, and possibly the rest of us, may be in for a rough week.