The partial government shutdown that finally ended on January 25th caused this country grievous harm. Litter piled up in Washington's streets. Closed national parks became targets for vandals. Plant poachers dug up endangered Joshua trees; one estimate is that recovery will take 300 years. Government contractors will not get back pay, which will make catching up with bills and feeding their families difficult.
Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) each introduced a bill to prevent shutdowns in the future. Portman's, which has 18 co-sponsors, would continue funding the government at current levels if Congress failed to reach a funding agreement, but funding would decline by 1% after 120 days and then each subsequent 90 days if no deal were reached.
Warner's, called the Stop Shutdowns Transferring Unnecessary Pain and Inflicting Damage in the Coming Years, or "Stop Stupidity Act," would maintain funding for all aspects of government except for the White House and legislative branch. Explaining his reasoning on the Senate floor, Warner said, "Common sense tells me that we wouldn't be here 35 days into this shutdown if all our staffs were experiencing the same kind of shortfall and economic distress that 800,000 of our fellow federal workers experienced."
The United States needs legislation that will prevent government shutdowns in the future by guaranteeing that vital programs will always have the funding they need even if Congress and the President have a disagreement over the budget.
