Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) is seeking co-sponsors for legislation that would permanently end the threat of government shutdowns.
“I urge you to join me in shutting down government shutdowns. I invite you to become an original co-sponsor of the ‘Shut Down the Shutdowns Act,’ which would automatically implement a continuing appropriation for any program, project or activity for which an appropriation has lapsed,” Grayson wrote in a letter to his House colleagues Monday.
{mosads}The measure would automatically appropriate money to parts of the government at the same rate as the previous year if Congress can’t manage to pass spending bills with updated funding levels by a given deadline.
Grayson’s proposal comes as the House is expected to pass a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday after approaching the brink of a partial government shutdown last week.
“The time has come to stop holding hostage the programs that benefits Americans, and keep us safe,” Grayson’s letter said.
“The time has come to avoid walking up to, dancing at the edge of, and then dropping off of, fiscal cliffs. Passing the ‘Shut Down the Shutdowns Act’ would allow every member of Congress to return to our Constitutional tasks of legislating and governing — not mere political maneuvering.”