Dear Senator Lankford and Representative Arrington,
On behalf of National Taxpayers Union, the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization, I write to express our strong support for the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act. This legislation takes important steps to protect taxpayers from inefficient economic disruption caused by federal government shutdowns. NTU is proud to endorse these important reforms to the budget process and encourages all members to co-sponsor this commonsense, pro-taxpayer legislation.
Washington’s budget process is fundamentally broken. It has become too common to avoid the regular appropriations work and, instead, Congress lurches from short-term patches to giant, last-minute omnibus packages that cost too much and few lawmakers have time to read. When deadlines are missed, the government grinds to a halt—delaying passport applications, small business loans, and even medical research trials. While some employees are furloughed, others deemed “essential” must continue working without pay.
While some may view government shutdowns as a path to smaller government, funding lapses disrupt the economy and stick taxpayers with the tab for Washington’s dysfunction. In addition to denying taxpayers important services, government shutdowns impose hidden opportunity costs, as federal agencies must prepare for potential shutdowns—redirecting staff time to contingency planning instead of normal responsibilities. A 2019 report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee estimated that the three previous shutdowns cost taxpayers almost $4 billion—mostly from back pay for furloughed workers, with hundreds of millions more in wasted administrative work and lost revenue.
The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act would take the prospect of costly shutdowns off the table. In the event of a lapse in appropriations, this legislation keeps federal agencies open by automatically extending funding at current levels in rolling two-week increments until Congress passes new spending bills. During a funding gap, only appropriations and emergency legislation can be considered, and lawmakers and Cabinet officials are restricted from travel outside Washington.
Government shutdowns highlight the failures of a broken budget process, leaving taxpayers to bear the costs of political gridlock. The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act provides a practical solution by ensuring federal services continue while Congress completes its work. NTU is proud to support this legislation and looks forward to working with you to help it become law.
Sincerely,
Alexander Ciccone
Policy and Government Affairs Manager