Rep. Craig Introduces the Shutdown to End All Shutdowns Act

Washington, D.C. - [1/29/19] Today, U.S. Rep. Craig worked with her fellow freshmen to introduce legislation protecting federal employees from being used as pawns in future political negotiations by transferring the financial hardship of shutdowns to the Executive Branch and Members of Congress.

The legislation comes in response to the longest shutdown in history that impacted more than 800,000 federal employees, more than 6,000 of whom are Minnesotans. The bill - called The Shutdown to End All Shutdown (SEAS) Act - would create strong incentives to prevent another shutdown from occurring by withholding the pay of Members of Congress and certain Executive Branch officials while forcing lawmakers and the Administration to remain in Washington until a deal is reached. Additionally, the bill ensures the government will continue running, even in the event appropriations legislation is not enacted.

"We inherited this shutdown and the dysfunction in Washington, but today I joined a number of my fellow freshmen to put an end to the practice of using destructive shutdowns as a negotiating tool, making sure that no party can ever put politics over people again," said Rep. Craig, who worked with a number of her freshmen colleagues to develop the legislation. "This bill shifts the pressure of a shutdown to where it should be: on the Legislative and Executive branches, not the millions of Americans who rely on government services and those who are asked to work without paychecks."