Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is trying to pass a bill that would prevent another government shutdown in the future.
If lawmakers haven’t approved a new budget in time, Portman’s bill would keep the government open with the same level of spending – but for a limited period of time.
“There is an incentive to get the committees of Congress, the apportion committees, back to work by saying after four months of continuing the funding from the previous year, there would be a 1 percent reduction in funding across the board,” Portman says. “That would affect defense, it would affect social services, everything. I think it’s something that both Republicans and Democrats would not like to see therefore, it would help to get people back to work.”
The legislation now has 25 Republican co-sponsors. Portman says even Republicans and Democrats that haven’t signed onto his bill admit something different needs to be done.
The government temporarily reopened this week after more than a month-long partial shutdown. Portman is hopeful that a productive resolution can be reached in the next two and a half weeks before another shutdown could occur February 15.
