The U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted 89 to 7 to end debate on a short-term government funding plan proposed by the House. The Senate has until September 30 to pass a funding bill, or a temporary continuing resolution, to avoid a so-called government shutdown.
The following statement from Heartland Institute Research Fellow Jesse Hathaway may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/377-4000 or (cell) 312/731-9364.
“This development represents another example of how broken our government is, and will continue to be, unless we get real reforms in Washington. Politicians from both major parties are unwilling to address the federal government’s out-of-control growth and are engaged in campaigns to outbid one another for the support of voting blocs. Because of this failure of character, few options remain for those truly concerned about the size and scope of the federal government.
“Currently, lawmakers in 28 states have passed resolutions calling on Congress to begin proceedings for a convention of the states to amend the U.S. Constitution. Only a handful of states need to join this accelerating movement, after which point delegates from all the states will attend a convention to draft a balanced budget amendment requiring Washington to live within its means, instead of the yearly cycle of short-term continuing resolutions and omnibus spending bills, followed by endlessly higher spending and frenzied tax hikes.”
Jesse Hathaway
Managing Editor
Budget & Tax News
Research Fellow
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
The Heartland Institute is a 32-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our website or call 312/377-4000.
Jesse Hathaway is a policy advisor for budget and tax issues at The Heartland Institute.
