Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Tuesday introduced legislation to prevent future government shutdowns in the event of funding lapses.
The Stop Stupidity (Shutdowns Transferring Unnecessary Pain and Inflicting Damage In The Coming Years) Act would automatically renew funding for all aspects of government, besides the legislative branch and president’s office, at the same level as the previous year.
A press release about the legislation said that such a policy would keep the government running in the event that lawmakers are not able to pass a funding bill due to policy differences.
Warner said in the release that the Stop Stupidity Act would “protect federal government workers from being used as pawns in policy negotiations.”
{mosads}He added that the bill would force Congress and the president to “do the jobs they were elected to do” without “hurting the American public.”
“It is disturbing that the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of workers are at the mercy of dysfunction in Washington,” Warner said. “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 current partial government shutdown, which has now reached its 32nd day, is affecting an estimated 800,000 federal workers who are either furloughed or working without pay.
The shutdown began in December after lawmakers failed to pass a spending bill that would satisfy President Trump’s demands for over $5 billion in funding for a border wall with Mexico.
Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), have also introduced similar legislation, the End Government Shutdowns Act.