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Members of Congress attempting to ban government shutdowns

Flickr User Karen Neoh
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Michigan members of Congress are part of efforts to prevent future federal government shutdowns.

Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) started the first month of her freshman term during the longest federal government shutdown in history. She doesn’t want there to be another.

Slotkin and other House freshmen are proposing to shift the financial burden of a government shutdown. In short, her bill would pay federal workers, but not members of congress or the administration.

“It transfers the pain from the average federal worker to the decision makers.”

Republican Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Dryden) is proposing a similar resolution.  It would keep the government funded, even if congress and the president can’t agree on a budget.

Neither proposal is expected to pass before February 15th, when current funding for some federal agencies runs out.