Faced with the prospect of another government shutdown over spending, Kentucky’s junior U.S. Senator said there should be consequences for missed deadlines.
Republican Rand Paul is sponsoring the Government Shutdown Prevention Act, which would incentivize Congress to pass spending bills. The legislation would cut federal spending by one-percent across the board every 90 days until lawmakers enact a budget.
Senator Paul said his bill would force both parties to do their job.
"We know both sides don't want spending to go down. They're all for more spending, so maybe they'll say 'Oh my goodness, all the special interests who want this money will be knocking on our door, yelling and screaming, so then they'll do it on time,” said Paul.
Senator Paul said government shutdowns, continuing resolutions, and large omnibus spending bills create uncertainty for agencies and lead to increased taxpayer costs. The continuing resolution that’s currently funding the government will expire at midnight Thursday.
While Senate leaders Wednesday reached a bi-partisan, two-year spending pact, the next challenge will be persuading a majority of House members to back the same proposal. Democratic House leaders have expressed reluctance to accept the budget agreement because there’s been no progress on an immigration deal.
