In the past fiscal year, Congress has delayed permanently funding the government three times, choosing to pass short-term "continuing resolutions" instead. Now, lawmakers are facing another hard budget deadline: if they don’t pass a funding bill Friday, January 19, the federal government will shut down.

But Republicans and Democrats are further apart than ever and a bipartisan solution seems like a tall order, especially as legislators wrangle over immigration.

Just funding the government is a problem that’s cropped up year after year, with federal shutdowns threatened or taking place in nearly every presidential administration in recent memory. How will Congress and the White House find a solution this time around?

This week on Money Talking, Charlie Herman talks about the effect of the chronic funding gridlock with budget expert Stan Collender, with Georgetown University and author of “The Guide To The Federal Budget.”