Avoiding a shutdown

Congressional Republicans, who often can’t get out of their own way, do for once seem committed to avoiding a government shutdown — knowing full well that it’s the GOP that would take the heat if that happens.

Sure, there was a time when sensible Democrats would join with sensible Republicans on a spending plan that addressed issues near and dear to both parties. That seems a long time ago.

At least this time around Republican leaders have come up with a sweetener that will make it harder for Democrats to dig in their heels completely. It’s a sixyear extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, which is wildly popular with governors of both parties (including Gov. Charlie Baker) who have valiantly managed to keep it running on little more than fumes.

Democrats, of course, also want a fix for the “Dreamers,” young immigrants whose lives have been thrown into legal limbo with the repeal of the executive order that has allowed them to avoid deportation. But then who doesn’t want a fix for DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals?

However, with the potential for a government shutdown looming Friday, this is a time to do what you can do and leave an issue as complicated as DACA for just a little later.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly even went to Capitol Hill yesterday to offer some assurances that the job of coming up with a DACA extension remains high on the agenda (that is after he met with the Hispanic caucus in an effort to quell the fallout from the president’s “s--hole” tirade).

Republicans still have the Freedom Caucus to deal with. Like Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) who insists the price of his support is a year of military funding (rather than a stopgap bill) and a fairly hard-line immigration bill. Good luck with that.

True, the House proposal would only extend the budget battle until Feb. 16 and, true again, this is no way to run a government. But there is one thing worse than this slipshod way of running the government — and that’s shutting it down.