Washington, DC – With a potential government shutdown looming at the end of the month, Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner today urged the Senate Rules Committee to expedite their bipartisan resolution to put pressure on Congress to avoid or quickly end a shutdown.
In a letter to Rules Committee Chairman Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Ranking Member Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), the senators wrote, “This resolution is a common sense approach which uses existing familiar procedures in order for the Senate to do its job by passing a budget and reopening the government. While we may differ on the reasons that have led Congress to this potential impasse, our constituents in Colorado have made clear to us that any government shutdown is unacceptable. It’s our hope that our resolution can play a role in preventing Congress from engaging in further brinksmanship at this critical point in time.”
The Bennet-Gardner resolution would work within the existing rules to hold Senators accountable if the government shuts down. It would invoke procedures in the Senate that would set in motion a constant series of quorum calls and roll call votes until a bill to reopen the government has been signed into law. It would have the effect of keeping senators on or near the Senate floor – forcing them to open the lines of communication and work with one another – until the government is reopened. If a majority of senators fails to show up during the shutdown, the Senate Sergeant at Arms will issue warrants to arrest them and escort them to the floor.
Full Text of the Letter:
September 18, 2015
Dear Chairman Blunt and Ranking Member Schumer:
As Congress works to find a short-term funding solution for the federal government, we write to request that the Rules Committee mark up S. Res. 101, the Shutdown Accountability Resolution. The resolution will have the effect of keeping a majority of Senators on or near the Senate floor in the event of a government shutdown. More importantly, it will discourage the Senate from contemplating a shutdown in the first place.
Under the resolution, following a full or partial government shutdown, the Senate must convene at 8:00 AM. A series of quorum calls will require Senators to stay on or near the Senate floor until an agreement has been reached or until midnight, in the event there is no agreement. If the Senate is unable to obtain a quorum after attempting to compel attendance, arrest warrants will be issued to force the attendance of absent Senators. This quorum call procedure will continue each day until Congress passes and the President signs a bill funding and reopening the government.
This resolution is a common sense approach which uses existing familiar procedures in order for the Senate to do its job by passing a budget and reopening the government. While we may differ on the reasons that have led Congress to this potential impasse, our constituents in Colorado have made clear to us that any government shutdown is unacceptable. It’s our hope that our resolution can play a role in preventing Congress from engaging in further brinksmanship at this critical point in time.
With less than two weeks left until the end of the fiscal year, we request that the Rules Committee mark up S. Res. 101 as quickly as possible. We have enclosed a copy of the resolution for your review.
Thank you for considering this matter.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Bennet
United States Senator
Cory Gardner
United States Senator
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