NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — To those still trying to salvage homes wrecked by natural disasters this summer, don’t worry. Congress has your back.

There is just no way lawmakers would let funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency run out.

Well, they probably won’t. They don’t want to anyway. But they’ve now left open the possibility that they might.

Once again, Congress is manufacturing a crisis — the third this year. Lawmakers are putting the country at risk of a government shutdown, creating pointless uncertainty over what used to be ordinary legislative business.

Why? House Republicans and Senate Democrats can’t agree on the terms of a bill that would continue to fund the government temporarily beyond Sept. 30, when the fiscal year ends.

Washington (CNN) — Hundreds of mail-handling facilities have been named in a shutdown list released Thursday by the U.S. Postal Service as the agency tries to cut massive red ink.

The potential closings are the latest chapter in a fundamental overhaul of the agency that may also mean closing thousands of smaller post offices across the country, and cuts in tens of thousands of Postal Service jobs in years to come.

Another “dog days” of August for Obama… The good news: He has time to heal his wounds; the bad news: he has yet another hole to climb out of… Obama again talks about the economy and political brinksmanship… S&P is back in the spotlight (and not in a favorable way)… Vacation politics… Perry off to a “serious start”… Paul digs Perry… And Perry and Paul are both in New Hampshire, while Bachmann and Cain are in South Carolina.
By NBC’s Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Brooke Brower

*** Dog days: As we’ve written before, President Obama has always had difficult summers, especially Augusts. And with the debt-ceiling fight, the White House knew this summer would be more challenging than the others.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — When it comes to deciding who pays to reduce runaway Medicare costs, President Obama and House Republicans have very different views.

Republican lawmakers would sock it to future generations of senior citizens, most of whom would have to pay more for their medical coverage.

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) — One thing is clear: nobody in Washington says they want a government shutdown.

But lawmakers have only until a week from Friday to agree on a way to keep the lights on in federal offices here and around the world. The clock is ticking.

Washington (CNN) — Top federal officials said Sunday that the Gulf of Mexico oil spill is a potential catastrophe and defended the Obama administration’s response so far.

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen warned the leaking oil from a rig explosion could continue for weeks with dire consequences.

WASHINGTON – Every few months, the Food and Drug Administration goes into fire-brigade mode, rushing to get control over another safety crisis.

Tainted peanuts. Unsterilized syringes. Salmonella in Mexican chili peppers. A contaminated blood thinner from China that sent patients into life-threatening shock.

Some say the FDA is broken.

“Bet yourself a new hat or a fine dinner that you are going to have a scandal a month,” said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. “