WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) reintroduced the?Prevent Government Shutdowns Act to take government shutdowns off the table and force Congress to stay in town until their work is done.

“It costs money to shut the government down and costs money to open it back up. Government is a service to the people, and harmful shutdowns deprive taxpayers of the services they rely on and pay for. Our legislation prevents these unnecessary shutdowns from taking place, and it forces lawmakers to act responsibly and find reasonable government funding solutions,” Grassley said.

“We have to change the way Washington spends money. Our debt is now more than $37 trillion. Congress cannot keep avoiding the hard choices to fix it,” Lankford said. “Shutting down the government does not fix the debt problem, it just makes it worse. The best way to finish negotiating the hard issue is to keep Congress in Washington until the budget is finished. That puts the pressure on lawmakers, not on families and important services.”

Additional cosponsors include Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas).

Background:

The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act requires that, if appropriations work is not completed by the end of the fiscal year, all members of Congress must stay in Washington, D.C., and work until the spending bills are completed. This will prevent a government-wide shutdown, continue critical services for Americans and shield federal workers from being harmed while Congress completes appropriations.

In the event of a lapse in government funding, the bill would implement an automatic continuing resolution (CR), on rolling 14-day periods, based on the most current spending levels enacted in the previous fiscal year. This would prevent a shutdown and continue critical services and operations.

During the covered period of an automatic CR, the following restrictions would be put in place:

  • No taxpayer-funded travel allowances for official business (except one flight to return to Washington, D.C.) for the following:
  • White House OMB staff and leadership
  • Members of the House and Senate
  • Committee and personal staff of the House and Senate
  • No official funds may be used for member or staff delegation travel (CODELs or STAFFDELs)
  • No use of campaign funds by congressional offices to supplement official duties or travel expenses
  • No motions to recess or adjourn in the House/Senate for a period of more than 23 hours

In addition, under the bill, no other votes would be in order in the House and Senate unless they pertain to passage of the appropriations bills or mandatory quorum calls in the Senate.

However, after 30 days under the automatic CR, certain expiring authorization bills and executive calendar nominations would be eligible for consideration on the Senate floor, including a nomination for a Justice of the Supreme Court or a Cabinet Secretary, and narrow reauthorization legislation for programs operating under an authorization that has already expired or will expire within the next 30 days. These restrictions can be waived by a two-thirds vote in either chamber, but not for longer than seven days. 

Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

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