Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced legislation Tuesday to put an end to future government shutdowns and protect federal government workers “from being used as pawns in policy negotiations.”
According to Warner, the Stop STUPIDITY (Shutdowns Transferring Unnecessary Pain and Inflicting Damage In The Coming Years) Act would keep the government running in the case of a lapse in funding by automatically renewing government funding at the same levels as the previous fiscal year, with adjustments for inflation.
The legislation would fund all aspects of the government except for the legislative branch and the Executive Office of the President – effectively forcing Congress and the White House to come to the negotiating table.
“The Stop STUPIDITY Act takes the aggressive but necessary step of forcing the President and Congress to do the jobs they were elected to do,” said Warner. “It is disturbing that the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of workers are at the mercy of dysfunction in Washington. Workers, business owners and tax payers are currently paying the price of D.C. gridlock and my legislation will put an end to that.”
The bill is similar to legislation introduced by Senator James Lankford (R-OK) last week.. Warner recently passed a bill to give back pay to the federal and other government workers who have been affected by the shutdown and introduced legislation to pay back federal contract workers.
The full text of the bill can be read here.
