Brooks introduces bill to ensure federal employees, contractors are never again used as bargaining chips

Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-5) is working to ensure the thousands of federal employees and contractors in his district – and across the state of Alabama – are never again used as bargaining chips in a government shutdown.

Monday, Brooks introduced the “End Federal Government Shutdowns Act of 2019,” a bill that automatically requires continuity of spending at the previous year’s levels should Congress fail to pass appropriations bills on time. This means that government shutdowns would no longer occur.

In a statement, Brooks said, “The shutdown politics and last minute, closed-doors negotiations will become a thing of the past, and perhaps more importantly, federal workers and contractors won’t be used as bargaining chips in partisan negotiations.”

He added, “Shutdown politics results in spending money America doesn’t have, has to borrow to get, and cannot afford to pay back. Members of Congress are expected to vote on massive spending bills hours after the bills are introduced, before anyone on Capitol Hill or the American people have time to read the bills.”

Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (NC-11) and Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01), another Freedom Caucus member, have signed on as original cosponsors to Brooks’ legislation.

Brooks’ full statement as follows:

For far too long, Congress has relied on short term, stop-gap funding bills to keep the federal government open and running — and have done so when up against holidays and midnight deadlines. Shutdown politics results in spending money America doesn’t have, has to borrow to get, and cannot afford to pay back. Members of Congress are expected to vote on massive spending bills hours after the bills are introduced, before anyone on Capitol Hill or the American people have time to read the bills. Take the last stop-gap bill Congress passed; the bill was made public a little after midnight on February 14th and the House of Representatives passed the 1,169 page bill at 9:00 PM the same day. This is an unacceptable way to spend billions in taxpayer dollars, and I voted against this financially irresponsible bill.

The ‘End Federal Government Shutdowns Act’ automatically requires continuity of spending at the previous year’s levels should Congress fail to pass spending bills on time. Hence, government shutdowns become a thing of the past. The shutdown politics and last minute, closed-doors negotiations will become a thing of the past, and perhaps more importantly, federal workers and contractors won’t be used as bargaining chips in partisan negotiations.

If the ‘End Federal Government Shutdowns Act’ were enacted, leadership of both parties would have no choice but to aggressively seek timely agreement and passage of appropriations bills to achieve new funding and policy objectives. A flat-spending alternative would be a strong incentive for constructive compromise involving a majority of representatives. Spending bills would be negotiated in the light of day and the American people could communicate their preferences to their elected representatives like it should be. All the while, the federal government would remain open so federal employees and contractors wouldn’t be held hostage to the demands of special interest groups and Congressional leadership.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn