NTU urges all Senators to vote “YES” on S. 2806, the Eliminate Shutdowns Act. This bill, sponsored by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), would finally put an end to the unnecessary and expensive act of shutting down the government every few years when squabbling politicians fail to pass an appropriations bill in time. It would effectively trigger a 14 day continuing resolution every 14 days until Congress finally passes a spending vehicle.
Three times over the last 15 years (in 2013, 2018, and 2019), Congress has caused the government to shut down after it was not able to pass bills to keep the government funded. According to a report by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), these three shutdowns cost taxpayers at least $4 billion in backpay to federal workers, extra administrative burdens, late fees, and lost revenues. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the 2019 shutdown on its own reduced America’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by over $11 billion. The costs to these shutdowns are real, and allowing them to happen is completely irresponsible. Taxpayers deserve better.
This is why we are happy to see that Majority Leader John Thune has brought S. 2806 to the floor this week, and that Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-SD) has also introduced this bill in the House. While we believe that Senator James Lankford’s bipartisan shutdown elimination bill presents a more thorough long term response to this recurring problem, Senator Johnson’s Eliminate Shutdowns Act would stop this current disastrous shutdown exercise in its tracks. In the absence of simply voting for the simple “no tricks” continuing resolution currently on the Senate floor that has already passed the House, we encourage all Senators to vote for this bill.
Roll call votes on S. 2806 will be included in NTU’s annual Rating of Congress and “YES” votes will be considered the pro-taxpayer position.
If you have any questions, please contact NTU Senior Policy Manager David Timmons at dtimmons@ntu.org
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