Yes, the last Congress very much whiffed its chance to make a budget. The December CR was political: let the new Congress make do it. It's no surprise that it

Yes, the last Congress very much whiffed its chance to make a budget. The December CR was political: let the new Congress make do it. It's no surprise that it takes longer than two months. It would be perfectly reasonable to just pass an actual budget, rather than a CR, that continues last year's priorities. The next budget cycle starts in September; make a real budget for the current Congress' priorities then. A less-incompetent 2025/2026 Congress would indeed have arrived in January with a worked-out plan. Certainly the administration did. I think they were waiting to see how well that plan worked, and are surprised that it has been so effective.