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As Debt Mounts, Congress Punts on Responsibilities

Arlington, Va.—The House of Representatives today will vote on a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown and temporarily keep the government running for six months after the fiscal year ends on Oct. 1.

“Football fans know that you can’t win if all you do is punt.  This continuing resolution amounts to another punt by Congress on one of its most basic and important responsibilities—budgeting,” said Public Notice Executive Director Gretchen Hamel. “Our debt just surpassed the $16 trillion mark—a record high, yet Congress continues to opt for the politically expedient solution rather than the fiscally responsible one. Short-term extensions are not a long-term strategy, but apparently that’s all Washington has to offer. Right now our country is down $16 trillion, and Washington is just looking to run out the clock. That’s not a winning strategy for America.  And we can’t afford another losing season.”

The continuing resolution, which sets spending at an annualized rate of $1.047 trillion, the level agreed upon on August 2011’s debt ceiling deal, would increase spending by $8 billion, a 0.6 percent increase over current-year spending.

As a point of reference, last year, Congress passed three continuing resolutions.

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