Partnership for Public Service calls for action to fully fund the government

September 30, 2023

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier on the passage of a short-term continuing resolution staving off a government shutdown for 45 days.

“A short-term continuing resolution is certainly preferable to a government shutdown, but this band-aid approach is not the answer. Congress must find a way to fully fund the government for fiscal 2024 as swiftly as possible. 

“Americans expect their elected leaders to deliver on their most basic responsibilities, including keeping the government operational. In fact, a recent online survey conducted by the Partnership found that 57% of respondents said they were concerned about a shutdown and 54% said they expected a shutdown would impact them personally. At a time when public trust in government is perilously low, this episode is only inflicting further damage and making it harder to rebuild that trust. 

“Meanwhile, federal agencies have spent weeks planning for a potential shutdown, limiting their ability to focus on the critical business of the nation. And because a continuing resolution is only a stopgap measure, agencies must still deal with enormous uncertainty as they await a longer-term solution, meaning they cannot make the strategic decisions necessary to effectively deliver public services. 

“Even though a government shutdown has been averted for now, the process for funding the government is deeply broken. Once this crisis is resolved, Congress should strongly consider reforms that would prevent situations like these from occurring again, including multiyear appropriations and biennial budgeting.” 

During the past 22 years, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service has been dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We work across administrations to help transform the way government works by providing agencies with the data insights they need to succeed, developing effective leaders, inspiring the next generation to public service, facilitating smooth presidential transitions and recognizing exceptional federal employees.

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