Federal government shutdowns ‘don’t make any sense,’ Portman says

Shutdowns of the United States federal government are costing American taxpayers big bucks, according to a newly released report from U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH).

“This report reaffirms what I’ve always said: Federal government shutdowns don’t save money, they actually cost taxpayers billions of dollars,” Sen. Portman said. “It’s time to end government shutdowns for good.”

Sen. Portman, chairman of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), and U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), ranking member of the PSI, on Sept. 17 unveiled their staff report, The True Cost of Government Shutdowns.

According to the report, the cost to American taxpayers of the last three government shutdowns totaled nearly $4 billion — $3.7 billion in back pay to furloughed federal workers, and at least $338 million in other associated costs, such as extra administrative work, lost revenue and late fees on interest payments.

Moreover, the total amount of combined employee furlough days (54) represents an estimated 56,938 years of lost productivity, according to the 183-page report.

But the $4 billion estimate could be higher, according to Sen. Portman’s office, due to incomplete information about employee furloughs and their impacts provided by some of the 26 federal agencies contacted for the report.

Several recommendations are also included in the report, such as enactment by Congress of an automatic continuing resolution to permanently prevent federal government shutdowns.

“I’ve introduced legislation to accomplish that goal and ensure we avoid disruptions that ultimately hurt taxpayers and our economy,” said Sen. Portman. “I look forward to continuing my work with Senator Carper and my bipartisan colleagues to end shutdowns once and for all.”

During a Sept. 18 speech on the U.S. Senate floor, Portman said federal government shutdowns in Washington, D.C., have become far too common.

“They don’t make any sense. And if we don’t do something in 12 days, Congress once again will face an unnecessary and costly government shutdown,” he said. “We’ve got to avoid that.”