Home Legislation would allow Congress to prohibit government shutdowns, initiate resolution
Virginia News

Legislation would allow Congress to prohibit government shutdowns, initiate resolution

Rebecca Barnabi
us politics congress
(© Toshe – stock.adobe.com)

End Shutdowns Act is legislation that would prevent government shutdowns and the senseless pain inflicted on federal employees, government contractors and millions who rely on government services.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and U.S. Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia announced introduction of the legislation today, which was introduced in the U.S. Senate and will be introduced in the U.S. House on Friday.

To avoid any more government shutdowns, the bill would initiate an automatic continuing resolution on October 1 when no appropriations bill is passed before, and would stop the Senate from moving forward with any other legislation, outside of an emergency scenario, until Congress reached an agreement on a long-term spending deal.

“Government shutdowns have disastrous consequences for federal employees and government contractors and slow down critical government services that millions of Americans rely on like getting replacement Social Security cards and food inspections. But politicians continue to use or threaten to use government shutdowns as a negotiating tactic,” Kaine said. “This is unacceptable, which is why I’m reintroducing my bill to prevent government shutdowns.”

Beyer said that government shutdowns are destructive to federal employees and the country, and Congress should not permit them to happen.

“Intentionally shuttering the government of the most powerful country on earth is foolish, weakening and embarrassing America on the world stage. It also does lasting damage to our economy and inflicts harrowing uncertainty on millions of civil servants and their families, many of whom live far from Washington. Congress should permanently take the threat of a government shutdown off the table, which is what our commonsense bill would do,” Beyer said.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.