Washington DC in August is always a picture of torpor. The humidity rises and Congress escapes for a month-long recess, slowing the pace of work for everyone from Cabinet officials to taxi drivers. But this year, life is even more sluggish than usual, as work on the federal budget has come to a virtual standstill. Normally, beneath the dormant surface, crucial work on the budget gets done in August. If this were a typical year, agencies would be preparing their spending plans for fiscal year 2010, inaugurating a process that culminates with the president's budget submission to Congress in February. And House and Senate staff would be starting to work out agreements on disputed items for fiscal year 2009, which begins on 1 October.
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