Senators Pushing A Bill To Stop Government Shutdowns For Good
In light of the extremist performance art that takes place far too often, a bipartisan idea is gaining new traction in Congress: taking shutdowns off the table entirely. Via Politico:
Senators and House members began circulating a letter on Friday pushing legislation that would automatically fund the government past spending deadlines like Sept. 30. It’s a longshot, but if passed it would amount to a permanent end to shutdown threats. Addressed to top party leaders on both sides of the Capitol, the missive asks for floor votes on the effort in both the House and the Senate, according to a draft copy obtained by POLITICO.
There are several different proposals floating around the Capitol about ending shutdowns entirely, as Congress stares down a Sept. 30 deadline and a House GOP that seems incapable of passing any sort of solution. But one bipartisan proposal from Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) has at least some bipartisan buy-in, a signal of senators’ increased frustration with Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the House gridlock.
“A number of senators, on a bipartisan basis, would like a vote on a bill authored by Senators Lankford and Hassan,” the letter reads. “The Prevent Government Shutdowns Act would do exactly what the title suggests. It’s a simple bill that offers an eminently reasonable solution to one form of recurring congressional gridlock.”