Congressional leaders must fulfill their most basic obligation to the public and fully fund the government 

January 11, 2024

WASHINGTON  – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier, calling on Congress to fulfill its obligation to the public by passing necessary appropriations to keep the government fully operational.  

“Eleventh-hour agreements to fund the government have become an unhappy tradition in recent years. While we may be on the cusp of once again narrowly averting a government shutdown, we must not overlook the importance of funding our government on time and for a full year, rather than the costly and disruptive series of fire-drills we have today. We rely on government to keep us safe, provide vital services and represent our interests on the world stage. Even the threat of a shutdown distracts from that essential work.  

“The appropriations process is clearly broken, and constant threats of a shutdown coupled with stopgap funding measures continue to stymie our government’s ability to effectively serve the public. We all win when agencies use public resources wisely, and the current process makes that much harder. 

“The bottom line is that the status quo is unacceptable. The public deserves a government that responsibly and prudently delivers essential public services. We cannot continue with this broken and chaotic process. Congress must act on reform.” 

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. Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.   

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