Here’s how the government could shut down in three weeks

Marketwatch reports:

It’s time to start watching the government shutdown clock.

Lawmakers are back in Washington on Tuesday after their summer recess and have a full plate of issues to deal with, including the Iran nuclear agreement and funding the government past the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

With only about three weeks to go before that date, Congress hasn’t passed a single spending bill for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. And with the House scheduled to be in session for just 10 days before Oct. 1, lawmakers are expected to vote on a so-called continuing resolution to keep the government open.

But even that may not head off a shutdown, analysts warn. In a piece on Tuesday in Forbes, budget-watcher Stan Collender raised his odds of a shutdown to 67% from 60%, given the amount of time lawmakers will take debating the Iran deal, and the likelihood of trying to block funding for it in the continuing resolution. President Barack Obama has the votes in the Senate to sustain the agreement, which lifts sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

Will Barack Obama go on vacation in the coming weeks?