Don Wolfensberger at The Hill:
What is strange about this fiscal round is that it was not preceded by adoption of the usual concurrent resolution on the budget — the lead engine that pulls all subsequent budgetary actions on spending, revenues, deficit, and debt. The budget resolution has been effectively relegated to caboose status while the remaining budgetary boxcars have been sidetracked into a dark tunnel. The congressional budget process, which was designed to provide full member participation and public transparency at every step, has been re-routed through the backrooms of majority party councils, only to reemerge in late summer. This late-unfolding process is like a surreal budget reel that only plays in reverse, like an old, silent film from the 1920s in which certain scenes are replayed backwards at high speeds for comic effect. Only this budget reel is for real.