U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has joined efforts to reintroduce the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act, a measure aimed at preventing federal government shutdowns by requiring Congress to remain in session until appropriations work is completed.
“Where I come from, you stay at work until you get the job done,” said Senator Tuberville. “The American people sent us to Washington D.C. to pass a budget, not to go on vacation. I’m proud to join this legislation that would stop incentivizing petty shutdowns by requiring Congress to stay in town until we can do our jobs and pass a responsible budget.”
The proposed legislation would mandate that if lawmakers fail to pass spending bills on time, all Members of Congress must remain in Washington, D.C., until their work is finished. The bill aims to avoid disruptions in federal operations and services by implementing an automatic continuing resolution (CR) during lapses in funding. This CR would be renewed every 14 days and maintain spending at levels enacted during the previous fiscal year.
While under an automatic CR, only votes related to appropriations bills or mandatory quorum calls would be allowed in both chambers of Congress. After 30 days under this arrangement, certain expiring authorization bills and executive nominations could be considered on the Senate floor, including nominations for Supreme Court Justices or Cabinet Secretaries and narrow reauthorization measures for programs with soon-to-expire authorizations. Any waiver of these restrictions would require a two-thirds majority vote but could not extend beyond seven days.
Senator Tuberville represents Alabama and serves on several Senate committees, including Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP), and Aging.
