The Senate today kicked the FY 2007 budget can down the road, adopting a continuing resolution (CR) to allow funding for federal government operations through Nov. 17. The Senate has been able to pass only the Defense (HR 5631) and Homeland Security (HR 5441) FY 2007 appropriations bills before the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1. Should the House follow suit as expected, the result will be a mish-mash of spending levels. The CR sets funding at the lower of the House-only or Senate-only passed appropriations bills. The Labor-HHS-Education bill (HR 5647) cleared neither chamber, leaving funding for the vast domestic programs under the bill at the fiscal 2006 level, an effective cut, after inflation. Congress is expected to take up the remaining appropriations bills when it reconvenes on Nov. 14, meaning that a second continuing resolution is all but inevitable. A senior congressional staffer tells me that this budget irresolution could continue until into 2007 itself.