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Congress·In Committee·4 months ago

Congress Proposes Automatic Funding Bill to End Government Shutdowns and Limit Lawmaker Travel

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Key Points

  • This bill would prevent the federal government from shutting down if Congress fails to pass a budget on time. Instead of closing offices and pausing services, the government would automatically keep running at its current spending levels.
  • To encourage lawmakers to reach a final deal, the bill bans Members of Congress, their staff, and budget officials from using taxpayer or campaign money for official travel during these periods. They would only be allowed to pay for a single trip back to Washington, D.C.
  • While the automatic funding is in place, the House and Senate would be restricted from working on other issues. They would generally be required to focus only on budget bills and would be prohibited from taking breaks or vacations longer than 23 hours.
  • The automatic funding would renew every 14 days until a permanent budget is signed into law. This ensures that federal employees continue to get paid and public services like national parks and food safety inspections remain open without interruption.
Economy FinanceLabor Employment

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Oct 31, 2025House

Referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, House Administration, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Oct 31, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

3 articles
Alabama Political Reporter·6 months ago

Sens. Britt, Tuberville sign onto legislation to prevent government shutdowns

The legislation would trigger an automatic, rolling two-week continuing resolution to maintain funding at previous levels. While active, members of Congress would be required to stay in D.C. with no access to taxpayer-funded travel, extended recesses, or official trips abroad.

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Bristow News·4 months ago

Preventing government shutdowns: Lankford's fix for a costly issue

Senator James Lankford's Prevent Government Shutdowns Act would automatically extend government funding in two-week increments if budget deadlines are missed. To keep pressure on lawmakers, the proposal bans official travel, long recesses, and campaign-related spending during these periods.

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ABC57·28 days ago

Understanding the partial government shutdown happening right now

As a partial shutdown affects agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, Rep. Bill Huizenga highlighted his co-sponsorship of H.R. 5870. The bill is designed to prevent funding lapses and require Congress to remain in session until all government funding matters are resolved.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Prevent Government Shutdowns Act

Bill NumberHR 5870
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, House Administration, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(18)
D: 9R: 9

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.