John,

I know you’ve probably been hearing a lot of talk about a potential government shutdown after the end of the month. So let’s talk about it.

Once again, some partisan House lawmakers are threatening to interrupt the basic function of our government by forcing a shutdown instead of working together on a bipartisan basis to pass the appropriations bills needed to fund our government operations.

These shutdowns are disruptive and harmful — they put a halt on critical services and programs that people in Maine rely on, and they put federal workers and their families under tremendous financial pressure. And while many talk about how their goal is to save taxpayer dollars, it’s been shown that these shutdowns cost millions and sometimes billions in lost hours and efficiency.

And what happens in Congress during a shutdown? Lawmakers sometimes go home and wait for things to get resolved by a few of their colleagues. I think we need to change that.

That’s why I worked with my bipartisan colleagues to introduce a bill, the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, which will prevent government shutdowns and compel Congress to stay in the D.C. metropolitan area until their work to sustain government operations is complete.

This bill would end the partisan dysfunction around shutdowns and protect the American people from a lapse in government services.

The way the bill would work is, if Congress can’t hammer out a budget, the government would automatically re-up for a two week period while they continue to negotiate. Beyond that, the bill would require them to stay in the D.C. metropolitan area for the negotiations and require that no other votes aside from a budget vote can be done.

We’ve seen the ripple effects of what happens when partisan dysfunction gets in the way of government — hardworking Maine people and folks across the country get hurt.

That’s why I’m fighting for this bill, and why I hope my colleagues will join me to help get it passed.

John, if you made it all the way to the end here, thanks so much for reading. I appreciate your support in our work to push Congress to work together.

Thanks,

Angus