A government shutdown is a crisis that affects the American people. It halts the flow of passport applications, delays small business loans, and disrupts clinical trials in medical research. National parks close, and federal employees miss paychecks. While some services considered essential, like border protection and in-hospital medical care, continue, non-essential workers are furloughed until funding resumes.
Congress is unable to agree on a long-term spending bill, so it relies on short-term appropriations bills called continuing resolutions (CRs). When Congress can’t pass a CR by its deadline, a shutdown occurs.
In the past, these lapses have occurred because of political disputes and budget crises like the debt ceiling and trade fights, and they’ve cost the economy $2 billion per day, according to Goldman Sachs. Shutdowns can also add to the deficit because they create extra costs for restarting programs after they reopen.
In order to prevent a shutdown, Congress needs to pass full-year spending bills on time and avoid using them as leverage in political fights. This would force lawmakers to do their job instead of relying on last-minute omnibus bills that few members of Congress even read before they vote. It’s time to end the shutdown cycle. If we do, the United States will be better off for it. A long-term budget solution must put an end to congressional brinkmanship and unnecessary disruptions, which only undermine the public’s trust in Congress. A comprehensive, bipartisan bill is the best way to do this.