Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he would consider a measure to end future government shutdowns by providing continuous funding even if Congress can not reach a spending deal.
“I’d be open to anything we can agree on, on a bipartisan basis, that would make them pretty hard to occur again,” McConnell, R-Ky., said.
McConnell and most of his GOP conference have long sought to avoid government shutdowns. McConnell, however, stopped short of endorsing the legislation in question, proposed by Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, that would enact a continuing resolution to automatically keep government funding if Congress does not pass spending bills on time. Portman’s measure would begin 1 percent reductions in government spending if Congress fails to reach a deal within three months.
“There are some differences on how to craft that,” McConnell said. ”But I’m certainly open to it.”
McConnell called the 35-day partial government shutdown that ended Friday “an example of government dysfunction that should be an embarrassment to everyone on a bipartisan basis.”
The shutdown was caused by a spending impasse. President Trump refused to sign spending legislation because it did not include money for a border wall, which Democrats blocked in Congress.
House Democrats and some House Republicans do not endorse legislation to continually fund the government.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said earlier he believes it would strip an important function away from Congress. He instead proposed a measure preventing government workers from having to report to work after one week if they are not paid.
