Milwaukee City Wire

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) has outlined a legislative proposal aimed at preventing future government shutdowns. In an op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal, Johnson introduced the Eliminate Shutdowns Act, which would automatically extend government funding in two-week increments at existing levels until Congress passes appropriations.

"With government funding and functioning assured, Congress would no longer have to spend weeks and months arguing over how to keep government departments open after failing to pass appropriation bills," said Sen. Johnson.

He added, "Fortunately, this turmoil can be avoided permanently by passing the Eliminate Shutdowns Act. Anyone voting 'no' is voting to continue budgetary chaos and should be held accountable by the American people."

Johnson noted that since he entered the Senate in 2011, there have been three government shutdowns and 55 continuing resolutions passed. He pointed out that during this period, the national debt increased from $14 trillion to $37 trillion. He previously supported similar legislation in 2019 that passed his committee but did not advance further.

According to Johnson's new proposal, automatic two-week rolling continuing resolutions would apply for any department lacking an approved appropriation bill or long-term resolution. This approach would maintain spending at prior-year levels until agreements are reached.

Johnson argued that removing artificial deadlines could help Congress focus on consensus areas first before negotiating contentious issues: "Instead, Congress could focus on areas of agreement, pass those appropriations, and then horse-trade on areas of disagreement. There would be no artificial deadlines, only the pressure of working with the other side to fund each other’s priorities. It’s impossible to say exactly how this would play out, but could it be any worse than the current situation?"

He also suggested shifting toward multiyear funding cycles as a long-term solution: "Converting to multiyear funding cycles is my main priority. We should admit that Congress simply isn’t capable of passing 12 individual appropriation bills each year." He proposed drafting six two-year appropriations annually or considering four three-year appropriations for improved oversight.

Reflecting on recent fiscal debates and partisan divides over spending measures for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, Johnson expressed concern about ongoing gridlock: "The fighting over funding fiscal 2025 lasted six months. No one can predict how long we will be at loggerheads trying to fund 2026."

Senator Johnson has served in the U.S. Senate since winning his first election against Russ Feingold in 2010 with 51.9% of the vote versus Feingold's 47%. He was re-elected in 2016 against Feingold again with a margin of 50.2% to 46.8%, and won his most recent race in 2022 against Mandela Barnes with a narrow margin of 50.4% compared to Barnes’ 49.4%.

The full op-ed by Sen. Johnson is available through The Wall Street Journal.