Legislative Reform: End Government Shutdowns, End Governance by Chaos

It is time to end the cycle of manufactured crises. Government shutdowns are not tools of negotiation - they are acts of economic and moral sabotage that harm millions of Americans, destabilize our institutions, and erode public trust in democracy. When Congress fails to pass appropriations, essential services grind to a halt, workers lose paychecks, small businesses suffer, and families go hungry. This is not governance. It is hostage-taking. We, the undersigned, urge Congress to pass legislation that: (1) Prohibits full or partial government shutdowns. When budget talks stall, operations should automatically continue at the prior year's funding levels until a new agreement is reached. This preserves vital services and removes the ability to weaponize shutdowns as political leverage. (2) Suspends congressional pay during any lapse in funding. Lawmakers should not be paid while the government they manage is closed. If millions of federal workers must forgo pay, the same must apply to those responsible for the impasse. Ensuring Fair Representation for the Minority Party: Some may worry that ending shutdowns could weaken minority-party influence. But there are better democratic mechanisms to ensure balance — stronger committee oversight, bipartisan budget-mediation panels, and full public transparency in spending negotiations. These tools preserve checks and balances without turning the economy and the federal workforce into collateral damage. Shutdowns are not democracy in action — they are democracy in distress. They have become predictable crises used to extract political concessions at the expense of the American public. This cycle must end. Fiscal disagreements should be resolved through debate and compromise — not by holding the government, the economy, and the people hostage. The American people deserve a functioning government — not governance by chaos.