Things might get a little confusing in the news from Washington, D.C. this week on the budget front, as we deal with a variety of budgetary offerings.
First let's start with the temporary budget plan approved by lawmakers just after midnight Friday night/Saturday morning, which averted a government shutdown.
That budget runs until Friday night at midnight, giving the House and Senate time to finish the second budget in play, which would fund government operations through the end of the fiscal year, September 30.
We still don't have all of the details from that plan, which was worked on all weekend by staffers on the House Appropriations Committee, as they lashed together the legislative language for the long term bill.
Your fun fact of the day is that the House does not even convene today until 11pm - that's right - 11 pm Monday night, all to give enough time to finish that bill and file it for action later in the week.
A vote on the longer term budget could come by Wednesday or Thursday. That measure includes almost $39 billion in budget cuts, and was the subject of the bitter battles in recent weeks which almost resulted in a shutdown.
After lawmakers finish with the budget for the rest of this fiscal year, then the House will take the first step on the budget for the next fiscal year, which begins October 1.
That budget isn't really a true budget - it's known as the Budget Resolution, which is more of a "framework" or an "outline" for the federal budget.
For example, it sets overall spending and tax revenue targets, but it doesn't fill in the blanks on how the money is spent or brought into the U.S. Treasury.
This is the plan that was unveiled last week by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), who is the Chairman of the House Budget Committee. It would cut about $6 trillion in spending over the next ten years.
In response to that document, we will get a fourth piece of budget action this week from the White House, as President Obama will make a speech on Wednesday where he will reportedly unveil a series of plans to trim back on entitlement spending.
It's an interesting decision by the White House, because by unveiling his own plans, Mr. Obama might also step on the toes of some in his own party, who hope to focus entirely on messages like "Republicans want to end Medicare" and more.
Once the House finishes work this week on the Budget Resolution, then lawmakers in the House and Senate will be off until May.
And when we return in May, then we can start having a Congressional showdown over the debt limit.
