With the government shutdown rolling on, it’s no surprise to hear Americans don’t exactly have a high opinion of Congress.
As of 12:01 a.m. EST on Tuesday, the federal government closed down. Congressional leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate were unable to reach an agreement on a budget or a temporary fix, known as a continuing resolution, before the start of the new fiscal year on October 1.
With Congress unable to agree on a budget or even a short-term emergency bill, it's increasingly likely that the federal government will suffer its first shutdown in 17 years. Leaders in the House of Representatives and the Senate will trade proposals on Monday, but neither side is optimistic that they will reach an agreement.
Regardless of who wins the presidential election, starting January 2013 some 163 million workers across the United States will be slapped with a significant tax increase.
If you’ve ever listened to a member of Congress speak and felt like you were being addressed as a child, it’s not your imagination. A new study shows congresspeople now talk at a 10th grade level — a full grade lower than they did just seven years ago.