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Congress·Introduced·5 months ago

Senate Bill Would End Government Shutdowns With Automatic Funding Stopgap

Also known as: Eliminate Shutdowns Act

Legislative Progress

Filed
Review
Senate
House
President

Impact Analysis

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

Key Points

  • This bill creates a permanent safety net to keep the government running if Congress fails to pass a new budget by the yearly deadline. Instead of shutting down, federal agencies would automatically receive funding at the same levels they had the year before.
  • The automatic funding would be provided in 14-day increments. This two-week cycle would repeat indefinitely until a formal budget or a temporary funding deal is signed into law, ensuring that federal employees stay on the job and public services remain open.
  • Essential programs like food stamps and other mandatory payments would be funded at the levels necessary to keep them running fully. This is designed to prevent families, veterans, and seniors from losing their benefits during political disagreements in Washington.
  • To help manage the money, agency heads could move up to 5% of their budget between different accounts to cover high-priority needs, provided they get approval and notify Congress. However, they are strictly forbidden from using this money to start new projects that were previously banned.
  • If passed, this law would take effect on September 30, 2025. It aims to end the practice of using government shutdowns as a bargaining chip in budget negotiations, providing more stability for the national economy and the federal workforce.
Economy FinanceLabor Employment

Milestones

6 milestones7 actions
Sep 29, 2025Senate

Motion by Senator Thune to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 2806 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 533) made in Senate.

Sep 29, 2025Senate

Cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 37 - 61. Record Vote Number: 533. (CR S6824-6825)

Sep 19, 2025Senate

Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate. (CR S6799)

Sep 19, 2025Senate

Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (CR S6799)

Sep 16, 2025Senate

Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 161.

Vote Results

1 vote
SenateFailedClotureSep 29, 2025

On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed

37
61
Democrat
0 – 45
Republican
37 – 14 · 2
Independent
0 – 2
View full roll call

Related News

2 articles
WisPolitics·5 months ago

U.S. Sen. Johnson: For The Wall Street Journal: My plan to end government shutdowns forever

Coverage of Senator Ron Johnson's op-ed outlining the Eliminate Shutdowns Act. The proposal aims to permanently remove the threat of shutdowns by automatically prorating the previous year's spending levels in two-week increments until a formal appropriation is signed.

C+
Grand Pinnacle Tribune·4 months ago

Longest Federal Shutdown Sparks Pay And Reform Battle

As the 2025 government shutdown becomes the longest in history, lawmakers are pushing reform bills like the Eliminate Shutdowns Act. The legislation is highlighted as a potential solution to prevent future lapses by forcing automatic continuing resolutions during congressional stalemates.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Eliminate Shutdowns Act

Bill NumberS 2806
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionMotion by Senator Thune to reconsider the vote by which cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 2806 was not invoked (Record Vote No. 533) made in Senate.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(3)
R: 3

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.