1. Is it true that Congress has given up on its Dec. 11 deadline for funding the U.S. government?

Yes. Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Tuesday that Congress will miss the Friday deadline because they don’t have enough time to finish the spending bill by then.

2. So does that mean the government will shut down Dec. 12?

No. Ryan said he will move a bill to extend current federal funding for a few days to give lawmakers time to reach a spending deal for 2016.

3. Couldn’t they just pass a bill to keep the government funded at last year’s levels for the rest of next year?

They could, but they won’t. That is called a continuing resolution because it “continues” last year’s funding levels. But Congress has already agreed to boost the overall spending total by about $66 billion. A continuing resolution would forgo all of that new money.

4. But former speaker John Boehner struck a budget deal earlier this fall; wasn’t that supposed to avoid the crisis?

That deal avoided one crisis by raising the debt ceiling so the government would not default. It also included the agreement to boost spending — half to defense, half to other domestic programs — to satisfy both Republicans, who wanted more for money for the military, and Democrats, who wanted more for social programs.

Read the article “Government Headed To Another Shutdown?” on usatoday.com.