Reps. Shalala, Spanberger, Brown Introduce Legislation to Prevent Future Government Shutdowns, Protect Federal Employees & their Families

Statement

U.S. Representatives Donna Shalala (D-FL-27), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), and Anthony Brown (D-MD-04) today led and introduced legislation that would help prevent future government shutdowns and protect federal workers from being used as negotiating tools in funding talks.

During lapses in government funding, the Stop STUPIDITY (Shutdowns Transferring Unnecessary Pain and Inflicting Damage In The Coming Years) Act would automatically renew funding at the same levels as the previous year--except for the legislative branch and the Executive Office of the President. This exclusion would help incentivize Congress and the President to work together to fix policy disagreements, without harming the federal workforce, U.S. national security, or the strength of the economy.

"A government shutdown should never be used as a negotiating threat due to policy differences, and no person should be furloughed or worse, working without pay because Congress can't do its job," said Shalala. "As Members of Congress, we are expected to faithfully uphold the duties of the office and serve the people who elected us with honor and compassion. We can't allow a 35-day shutdown become the norm in Washington, and by introducing this bill we will ensure federal employees receive a paycheck. To witness hardworking federal employees in South Florida turn to food banks to feed their families was devastating and it should never happen again. The impact of the shutdown not only affected 800,000 federal employees, but it affected local businesses in our community, too. I'm pleased to work with my colleague Rep. Spanberger as we introduce the Stop STUPIDITY Act."

"As we saw last month, no one benefits from a government shutdown. For 35 days, our economy and national security were put at risk, and federal workers suffered greatly due to the inability of their elected officials to do their jobs," said Spanberger. "Today, we introduced our legislation that would help prevent future shutdowns by placing the burden on Members of Congress and the White House, rather than on hardworking federal employees. The bottom line is that shutting down or threatening to shut down our government as a negotiating tool is never acceptable, and passing this bill would make clear that Members of Congress agree."

"Last month, the country became sharply aware of two realities my constituents have always known: federal employees and contractors often struggle to make ends meet, and government shutdowns are extremely painful for the public servants and their families that our nation depends upon," said Brown. "It's unfortunate the President continues to threaten to shut down the government and hold federal workers and contractors hostage to fulfill his campaign promises. I am proud to join Reps. Spanberger and Shalala on the Stop STUPIDITY Act, to keep civil servants on the job, and government open and working for the American people."

Last month, U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced companion legislation in the U.S Senate.

The record-long government shutdown caused serious financial harm to hundreds of thousands of federal employees in Central Virginia, South Florida, Maryland, and across the country. From December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019, more than 420,000 federal employees were forced to work without pay, including more than 41,000 federal law enforcement and correctional officers and up to 88 percent of all U.S. Department of Homeland Security employees. Additionally, more than 380,000 federal employees were furloughed during the shutdown.

Spanberger, Shalala, and Brown's Stop STUPIDITY Act would make sure all federal workers get paid during a shutdown, except for Members of Congress, congressional staff, and White House officials.

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