Congressman O'Halleran Introduces Bill For Government Shutdown Accountability
- T. Bowlby
- Jan 9, 2019
- 2 min read
Today, Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) tweeted he had introduced the Government Shutdown Impact Report of 2019, stating “[t]his shutdown continues to negatively impact countless hardworking Americans.”
The bill will require the Congressional Budget Office to submit daily reports on the national fiscal impact of a government shutdown.
In a press release from his office, it was stated that this is the first bill O'Halleran has introduced to the 116th Congress.
“We began the new year with a government shutdown that is impacting the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans. We were elected to serve as good stewards of our nation and our economy, but this reckless political stalemate does nothing but harm our standing in the world and devastate local communities,” said O'Halleran. “The American people are being undermined by partisan gridlock, and they deserve to know what it is costing our nation. This commonsense legislation will shine a light on how a government shutdown affects our economy.” he wrote.
The Government Shutdown Impact Report of 2019 requires the Congressional Budget Office to submit daily reports on the impact and cost of the shutdown, including:
An estimate of the economic output lost on that day as the result of the government shutdown.
An estimate of any decrease in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the quarter that will occur as the result of the government shutdown.
The value of any assistance, including loans, grants, and contracts, that the Small Business Administration (SBA) was unable to provide as a result of the government shutdown.
The amount of any revenue for the National Park Service that was lost on that day as the result of the government shutdown.
An estimate of revenue lost on that day because of the effects of the government shutdown on tourism and travel to and within the United States.
“We have a responsibility to pass a bipartisan budget that invests in the future of our country, and it must be done on time every year,” continued O’Halleran. “We must break the cycle of short-term funding bills that have hamstrung any progress we could be making on infrastructure repair, improved care and services for veterans, and growing the economy of rural communities.”
The legislation is co-sponsored by 14 members of Congress, including: Reps. Stephanie Murphy (FL-07), Jim Cooper (TN-05), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Don Beyer (VA-08), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Sean Casten (IL-06), Antonio Delgado (NY-19), Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18), Daniel Lipinski (IL-03), Abigail Spanberger (VA-07), and Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15).
In addition to introducing this bill, O’Halleran has also pledged to donate his salary for the duration of the shutdown to Arizona non-profits. Something he has done before. During the last shutdown, in 2018, he donated his salary to three veterans’ organizations within his district.
According to the Standard and Poor's (S&P) Rating Services, the 2013 shutdown cost the U.S. economy an estimated $24 billion.
Article Sponsored By
Comments