The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill

It’s time to shut down all future government shutdowns

We just came through a 35-day partial government shutdown that impacted millions of Americans, hurt our economy, and harmed our world standing.

This was the most recent – and longest – of any government shutdown. We may see another in less than two weeks if Congress and the president can’t find a compromise on border security funding.

{mosads}This is no way to run a railroad, much less our nation’s government. That is why we introduced bipartisan legislation reinforcing Congress’ commitment to prevent future government shutdowns and protect those affected by them.

Let’s quickly review the consequences of the government shutdown that ended on Jan. 25:

One of Congress’ most fundamental duties is to fund the government and keep the lights on.  When the appropriations process is not completed on time, government employees, their families, the economy, and our nation as a whole suffer the consequences. These situations can only be avoided if all involved parties negotiate in good faith and find a compromise.

That’s why we introduced a bipartisan House resolution calling on Congress to amend the United States Code to prevent any future lapse in appropriations, and to permanently end government shutdowns.  Our resolution reinforces Congress’ commitment to preventing government shutdowns so no Americans — including federal employees, contractors, and those who depend on critical government services – have to suffer the consequences of future shutdowns.

It’s well past time to end the practice of holding hostage millions of workers and taxpayers as a strategy for achieving political ends. Surely, our nation’s Founders never imagined repeatedly shutting down the government they created would become the norm.

We urge the leadership of both parties to quickly schedule our resolution for consideration. Only by such action, taken early in this new Congress, can we demonstrate a bipartisan commitment to preventing future shutdowns from harming our citizens, our workers and our economy ever again.

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is a Democrat from Illinois.  Rep. Paul Mitchell is a Republican from Michigan.