Sen. Ron Johnson | Ron Johnson Official Website
Sen. Ron Johnson | Ron Johnson Official Website
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) delivered a powerful speech on the Senate floor on Friday, calling for an end to government shutdowns and highlighting the dysfunction in Washington. The senator proposed a one-time 14-day Continuing Resolution (C.R.) to fund the government at previous year's levels, in an effort to prevent a shutdown.
Sen. Johnson reiterated his support for the bipartisan Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2023, which aims to put an end to government shutdowns by implementing rolling 14-day C.R.s until Congress passes all 12 appropriations bills.
However, Senate Democrats blocked this common-sense solution, highlighting the dysfunction that plagues the nation's capital. Sen. Johnson discussed this issue in-depth during an interview on Fox News' Life, Liberty, and Levin.
During his speech, Sen. Johnson emphasized the broken appropriations process in Congress, stating, "By the time I arrived in 2011, Congresses’ appropriations process was completely broken, it still is. The U.S. has since had three government shutdowns, passed 34 Continuing Resolutions to avoid shutdowns, raised or suspended the debt ceiling nine times, and increased the federal debt $8.5 trillion just four years ago. So here we are, a couple of days before the end of the fiscal year, four years later: our debt has more than doubled, stands at $33 trillion now, and we’re facing a shutdown. Isn’t this ridiculous? There’s no reason for this."
To address this issue, Sen. Johnson highlighted the Hassan-Lankford bill, which mirrors the process used in Wisconsin to avoid shutting down agencies and the government. The bill proposes rolling 14-day C.R.s at the previous year's spending level until Congress can pass appropriations bills. This approach puts pressure on lawmakers to act swiftly and responsibly.
Sen. Johnson expressed his belief that the Hassan-Lankford bill can bridge the partisan divide, stating, "That bill that I chose, that we passed by the way, on a bipartisan basis, I believe every Democratic senator on the committee voted for it because Senator Hassan and Senator Lankford did a good job of coming together in a bipartisan fashion. They put some disciplines in there, but what it does, it just creates rolling 14-day C.R.s, with those disciplines, members can’t travel back on the government dime, you only have a 24-hour shutdown I believe, there are other disciplines there that put pressure on the process."
Sen. Johnson also expressed concern about the long-term consequences of the current system, stating, "This year, 27%. We'll focus on that and we'll ignore 73% and let it grow out-of-control. But again, this is a well-honed process. It’s dysfunctional, but the process is in place, and it's a well-honed process to mortgage our children's future."
Sen. Johnson's speech serves as a reminder that government shutdowns and the broken appropriations process have serious consequences for the American people. He continues to advocate for bipartisan solutions that will put an end to this dysfunction and ensure responsible governance.
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