The theme this week in Madison and Washington, DC has been late-night sessions in an effort to find enough unified Republicans to pass both state and federal budget bills. In Congress, that meant all-night arm twisting until every last bit of conscience had been wrung out of lawmakers concerned that their big, bloated boondoggle would hurt so many Americans. In Madison, it meant rushing to pass a budget so very far from very good—but having to sign it at 1:30 this morning before the impact of what Congress is doing can be felt. We’ll try to sum it all up.

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