Washington, D.C. – As the current government shutdown becomes the longest in U.S. history, Steve Ellis, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, issued the following statement.

“The longest government shutdown ever is not the kind of history anyone wants to make. Every day the government stays closed adds to the tab for taxpayers and the broader economy. This is an unforced error of epic proportions that’s already costing the economy billions. Beyond the usual disruption, the administration has threatened to withhold back pay for furloughed workers, summarily fired federal employees, and refused to issue food stamp benefits.

“Lawmakers of both parties need to come together and get the funding done. The House needs to come back to Washington—Speaker Johnson has kept members out of session since before the shutdown began. They have plenty of work to do, and the Continuing Resolution they passed to keep government running would expire in a little over two weeks if the Senate acted on it. Ending this shutdown requires good faith from both sides of the aisle, not another round of partisan finger-pointing.”

Background:

For more information and resources on the costs and consequences of federal shutdowns, visit taxpayer.net/shutdown.

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About Taxpayers for Common Sense:
Taxpayers for Common Sense is a nonpartisan budget watchdog committed to eliminating wasteful spending and promoting fiscal transparency and accountability.