Congress takes off for the summer, setting up an autumn showdown

Congress is leaving Washington for the summer by putting in place all the elements for another debt and spending showdown in the fall, when funding deadlines for federal agencies and highway programs are expected to collide within weeks of when the Treasury’s borrowing authority will expire.Add to the mix the desire to extend billions of dollars in special tax breaks by the end of December and a rising call from some lawmakers for a rewrite of the international tax laws in order to fund federal programs, and the likelihood of a government shutdown looms larger by the day.