Economists warn the fiscal situation could push the country back into a recession . The U.S. government has been running deficits for years, and now it's getting harder to pay them off because of higher taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans. Other senators have raised the idea of a down payment that would buy time for Congress to consider an overhaul of the tax code and replace the automatic spending cuts with more targeted cuts . Whether Congress can cut a deal after the election and before the end of the year is uncertain . Officials are skeptical that a lame duck Congress will accomplish anything .
Economists warn the fiscal situation could push the country back into a recession . The U.S. government has been running deficits for years, and now it's getting harder to pay them off because of higher taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans. Whether Congress can cut a deal after the election and before the end of the year is uncertain . Officials are skeptical that a lame duck Congress will accomplish anything .