REUTERS 09/01/2013 Syria Vote Complicates Congressional Fiscal Debate By David Lawder WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - A vote in Congress over whether to launch U.S. attacks against Syria is expected to wreak collateral damage - leaving too little time on Capitol Hill to deal with fast-approaching fall deadlines to fund government agencies and raise the debt limit. That increases the likelihood that U.S. lawmakers will agree to a short-term government funding measure to get them through the fall, postponing for another day any broader deal or big showdowns. The House of Representatives had previously scheduled only nine legislative days in September after they return from summer recess on Sept. 9, prompting analysts to view this as barely enough to pass government funding legislation in time to avoid a federal shutdown as the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1. But now much of that time is likely to be eaten up with a contentious debate over authorizing the use of military force to punish Syria, analysts say. With Republicans and Democrats still deeply divided on how to shrink U.S. debt and federal deficits, the odds for a comprehensive agreement that replaces "sequester" spending cuts and lifts the debt ceiling have fallen dramatically. "Syria has really scrambled an incredibly crowded calendar," said Chris Krueger, a political analyst with Guggenheim Securities in Washington. "I think you have to say that the chance of a short-term extension has increased." Page I 1 of 3 EFTA01122618