McConnell 'open' to bill stopping future shutdowns
by Susan Ferrechio
| January 29, 2019 02:54 PM
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. â€But I’m certainly open to it.â€
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.â€
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