To help fix the nation’s budget process and prevent government shutdowns, U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) on Sept. 21 sponsored a concurrent resolution that would make continuing resolutions automatic.
“Our nation is nearly $30 trillion in debt,” Rep. Emmer said. “Unless we act quickly, this liability will continue to grow and will place an enormous burden on our children and grandchildren, who face a future of higher taxes and more inflation as a result.”
The Government Shutdown Prevention Act of 2021, H.Con.Res. 52, is identical to Senate legislation S. 105, which was sponsored in January by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). In the event Congress cannot reach a spending agreement before the end of a fiscal year, the measure would avert a government shutdown, according to a summary provided by Rep. Emmer’s office.
Additionally, the measure would automatically reduce all federal spending by 1 percent, and then reduce it again by another 1 percent every 90 days that Congress fails to reach an agreement, the summary says.
“Despite the daunting fiscal forecast, the current congressional budget process is beyond broken,” said Rep. Emmer, who added that Congress far too often fails to complete the government funding process by its deadline.
The result, he said, is that members of Congress are forced “into accepting one of two options: either throw up their hands and allow status quo spending levels to remain in place — without any reforms — or they allow the government to shut down.”
And while periodic shutdowns are often labeled as “a tough-but-effective negotiating strategy” to rein in government spending while advancing important reforms, that’s not always the case, said the congressman.
“Instead, after days or weeks of punishing the American people, government shutdowns inevitably end with a backroom deal negotiated by exhausted parties that does nothing to curtail runaway spending or address our nation’s long-term challenges,” Rep. Emmer said. “The American people deserve a much better budget process; my legislation will start to place our nation on a responsible path.”
Adam Brandon, president of FreedomWorks, endorsed the measure. “Congress’s inability to abide by their fiscal deadlines is as irresponsible as it is absurd. Rep. Tom Emmer’s Government Shutdown Prevention Act is a commonsense solution to protect American taxpayers and put an end to costly government shutdowns,” Brandon said.