Watchdog Supports Avoiding a Shutdown, Warns Against Reckless Spending

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kara Zupkus (224) 456-0257

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reports indicate that the House Rules Committee is set to consider a seven-week continuing resolution (CR). If passed, the CR would avert the possibility of a government shutdown. While passing a CR is preferable to a costly shutdown that fails to yield actual reform or savings, a CR is merely a band-aid on a gaping wound caused by Congress’ inability to reach more sustainable solutions.

In response, David Williams, Taxpayers Protection Alliance’s President, offered the following comment:

“A clean CR is necessary, at this point, to avoid a potentially costly and disruptive government shutdown. While TPA supports this specific measure, Congress has little to celebrate if it passes. Once again, Congress has failed to complete the regular appropriations process on time, forcing short-term fixes instead of real budgeting. This CR continues the reckless spending levels of past spending bills. Rather than continuing to kick the can down the road, lawmakers must use this seven-week period to actually work out a sustainable and long-term solution to America’s spending woes. The fact remains that Congress has not passed all annual appropriations bills on time since Fiscal Year 1997 (FY97), and the current funding levels were enacted in FY24 under the Biden Administration.

“TPA supports a clean CR, and we urge members of Congress to immediately start working towards an alternative for the future. TPA has supported several pieces of legislation aimed at fixing the broken appropriations process, including the Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2023, introduced by Sens. James Lanford (R-Okla.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), as well as the Government Shutdown Prevention Act of 2025, introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). We also support Sen. Paul’s Six Penny Plan, which would implement a straightforward six percent spending cut and balance the budget in five years, as well as proposals to withhold pay for members should they fail to uphold their Article I responsibility of passing a budget.

“Each year, congressional leadership tells the American people it is ‘not the time’ to address runaway spending, because of the potential for a shutdown. Congress has shirked its responsibility of being the faithful steward of taxpayer dollars for far too long.”

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 Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy.