Last month I reported that neither the Defense Authorization Bill nor the Defense Appropriations Bill were completed and that it began to look like another continuing resolution would be necessary to continue to fund the government at last year’s levels.At this writing, it appears that the continuing resolution that expires on Nov. 18 will have to be extended into December to keep the government "running on fiscal fumes."As I have said in this column so many times, it is not as if the Congress didn’t know back in January that the deadline was Sept. 30.Of course, election politics plays an outsized role in the timing, or lack thereof, for passage of the legislation, but with a nation at war, politics should not trump the necessity of a reliable funding stream.It appears that the current Hill strategy is to pass a series of "minibus" appropriations bills that address three or four appropriation categories at a time rather than one huge omnibus.However, the defense appropriations bill appears to be one that will be "saved" for last because, as a "must pass" bill it can carry other legislation that might not pass on its own.The Defense Authorization Bill is still sitting in limbo in the Senate.Depending on the day and who is talking, it is due to come to the floor within a week or not until the middle of December. Ah, the ways of Congress.Against all this we still have the backdrop of the Supercommittee that is trying to devise budget cuts by a deadline of Nov. 23. Again, depending on who you listen to, that group may or may not have a proposal ready by the deadline.If they don’t, or even if they do and Congress does not approve the proposal, then the specter of additional enormous budget cuts are in play with the second session of this Congress as the only thing standing in the way of drastic cuts to entitlement and defense spending.Rather than dwell on congressional inaction, I want to report on our recently concluded Annual Meeting. It was a huge success with more exhibitors than ever before and exhibits in all five halls – about 500,000 square feet of military-related booths.On the Sunday before the Annual Meeting began, almost 50 congressional staffers ran the Army Ten-Miler. Then, on Tuesday, the Congressional Staff Breakfast featured both the Army chief of staff and the secretary of the Army as speakers.They spoke to a crowd of almost 600 people including more than 200 Hill staffers. It was among the best attended congressional events in the association’s history and served as a way for AUSA to thank staffers for all they do for the nation and the armed forces in the course of their work.Later, more than a dozen staffers attended the Eisenhower Lunch to hear the Army chief of staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, speak and then the Marshall Dinner to hear the acceptance speech of U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker.Because the House and Senate were in session, this year was a record breaker for attendance by members of Congress. Sixteen House members, including the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and two senators were able to take the opportunity to meet with top Army leadership to discuss critical issues facing the Army, and to meet with key defense industry leaders and view the latest technology in the exhibit halls.Concurrent with the Annual Meeting, the AUSA Resolutions Committee completed its proposed resolutions, and AUSA chapters are voting on them as this column goes to press.Once the votes are tallied, the resolutions will be posted on the AUSA Web site and then printed in hard copy for distribution. Next year the AUSA government affairs team will use them as our guide for legislative advocacy.Please stay with us as we engage with Capitol Hill to authorize and fund programs that will help our Army keep our nation safe and provide a high quality of life for soldiers and their families.