{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=aa86be1f-4d67-4630-a021-12b91ddb4e57", "Portman Cincinnati Enquirer Op-Ed: Ending Future Government Shutdowns", "2013-12-10", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "OH", "Rob Portman", "P000449", "www.portman.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) lays out his plan in today\u2019s Cincinnati Enquirer to end the threat of government shutdowns. Portman recently introduced the End Government Shutdowns Act, bipartisan legislation that would ensure that, for any program whose appropriation bill has not been enacted by the new fiscal year, spending would automatically continue at the prior year\u2019s level. If lawmakers still cannot complete spending bills, spending would be reduced one percentage point after 120 days, and another percentage point every 90 days thereafter.\r\nExcerpts of the Op-Ed are below, and it can be found in its entirety here.\r\nProposal would help end government shutdowns   Cincinnati Enquirer   Sen. Rob Portman   December 9, 2013\r\nThe recent government shutdown created many losers, and no winners. Federal employees were furloughed, and millions of Americans dependent on federal programs and services were left hanging. The economy was burdened with a new source of uncertainty. And for what? The dangerous long-term growth of government spending was not pared back at all.\r\nA government shutdown \u2013 whereby a part of the federal government shuts down due to the failure to enact the bills funding those programs \u2013 has occurred 18 times since the current budget process was installed in 1976. If nothing changes, Washington may be headed for a 19th shutdown this January.\r\nBut Washington must change. And that is why I introduced the End Government Shutdowns Act earlier this year. This bipartisan legislation would ensure that, for any program whose appropriation bill has not been enacted by the new fiscal year, spending would automatically continue at the prior year\u2019s level.\r\nIf lawmakers still cannot complete spending bills, spending would be reduced one percentage point after 120 days, and another percentage point every 90 days thereafter.\r\nThe current system is undeniably broken. Each year, Congress must pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the nearly $1 trillion in annual discretionary spending. In the past four years, not a single one has been signed into law on time for the new fiscal year. That\u2019s 48 consecutive late appropriations bills.\r\nOften, Congress passes a series of short continuing resolutions to keep the programs going until the final bills are completed. But not always.\r\nInstead, crisis budgeting has become the norm over the past 20 years. With budget deadlines fast approaching, lawmakers have often been given the painful choice of passing a hurried, last-minute, budget-busting omnibus bill with countless special giveaways and favors, or shutting down the government. Clearly, lawmakers could pass more responsible and thoughtful spending bills if they could take the time to do so without a \u201cgovernment shutdown\u201d gun pointed at their heads.  \u2026\r\nThis year\u2019s shutdown \u2013 and the backlash it produced \u2013 has led some lawmakers to promise a budget deal to prevent another shutdown next month. But that implies acceptance of any spending to get the bills passed. In short, government shutdowns produce backlashes that shift the momentum to the spenders.\r\nSome critics contend that automatically maintaining current spending levels would lead to lawmakers not passing appropriations bills and leaving those programs on autopilot. Of course, Washington doesn\u2019t pass appropriations now. Isn\u2019t this safeguard better than risking the upheaval of a full shutdown?  \u2026\r\nGovernment shutdowns accomplish nothing. They result in bad deals for the American people, and their value as a political tool is fool\u2019s gold. It\u2019s time to end them once and for all. The End Government Shutdowns Act can help do that.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=aa86be1f-4d67-4630-a021-12b91ddb4e57"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6724159941077232, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}