ASA Urges Congress To End Government Shutdown

The American Supply Association (ASA) urges Congress to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to reopen the federal government while various policy disagreements are negotiated. 

In recent years, Congress rarely enacted a full budget before the fiscal year ended on September 30. Instead, both parties routinely implemented short-term continuing resolutions to maintain government operations while negotiating a final appropriations measure. This year, Senate Democratic leadership departed from that practice -  allowing a lapse in funding that produced a government shutdown arising from a policy dispute largely unrelated to ordinary funding for government functions. It is regrettable that the minority party leadership in both chambers has prioritized partisan objectives over sound public policy.

Many federal employees have been forced to take secondary employment to meet basic expenses after missing paychecks for nearly a month, creating acute financial strain for households and communities; permitting backlogs on major infrastructure projects that have been delayed, the air traffic control system is experiencing mounting operational pressure, and food and other assistance programs face growing interruptions.

The broader economic impact is material: the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that a monthlong lapse in appropriations could reduce fourth-quarter GDP growth by roughly 1 to 2 percent and produce permanent output losses on the order of several billion dollars, with midpoint estimates in the range of $7 billion to $14 billion depending on the duration and depth of the shutdown.

ASA urges Congress to act swiftly to resolve the current impasse and enact solutions that protect the welfare and economic security of the American people.