Hello rfvlxz. "down the road" usually means "in the future" as follows: We may have problems down the road. However in the quotation you offered, the meaning is slightly different, because it refers to something of a political activity. Thus, in the phrase: . . I've watched them kick this can down the road ..........[this phrase refers to the political ideas and policies of "Washington" which means the "U.S. Government". So to kick the can down the road, refers to the public advocacy, and political advocacy of the government. So, Policies and Ideas that the government recommended, are the ideas that they have proposed...thus, they "kick---the---can----down---the---road". You see? ---Warm Regards, Bruce

It means to put something off and not deal with it. So it is saying that Washington continues to ignore this problem but not dealing with it. Hope that helps! Brian