In the middle of the night, policymakers finalized the details on a continuing resolution that must was passed before the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The short-term spending plan—that lasts six-months—passed with little fuss. But if a six-month bill financing the federal government faces such little opposition in the political arena, why are longer-term measures met with such conflict in Washington? Get the facts behind this short term extension and the increase in spending here.