Concord Action Statement on Congress Failing to Reach a Budget Agreement and Avert a Government Shutdown

In response to Congress failing to reach a budget agreement, leading to a government shutdown, Carolyn Bourdeaux, Executive Director of Concord Action, released the following statement:

“The federal government is $37 trillion in debt, threatening our economic stability. And Congress is once again mired in a broken budget process with no long-term focus on where our country needs to go. In this fiscal environment, budget negotiations should follow certain principles: Congress should do its job, stick to the schedule, seek opportunities for bipartisan compromise, and fully pay for any new spending or tax cuts.

Instead, extreme partisanship and fiscal irresponsibility have led us to another risky, wasteful and frankly embarrassing government shutdown. We need a new approach. Any budget deal or CR should include establishing a fiscal solutions commission, with real accountability, to break the cycle of fiscal drift and political malpractice.”