This news analysis has modest journalistic merit. It is written from the Democratic Party perspective, as all political items in this newspaper are, so it quotes old statements by Republican leaders without noting that they were made on the assumption that the old Congress would do its job and pass appropriations. Only one short paragraph buried in the story mentions this, without naming either Reid or Pelosi, who bear the major responsibility, with their committee chairs, for the incompetence of the last Congress on appropriations. Van Hollen is quoted in full Washington Monument mode, apparently not yet realizing the magnitude of his failure as a senior leader in the last Congress (indeed, an objective reporter would have pointed out that he was head of the DCCC that resulted in a historic loss of 63 seats in the House). These points reduce the credibility of the piece as journalism.