The Messenger: Joni Ernst has the right idea

Americans have become frustrated by the failure of Congress to get its work done on time. Adopting a budget and approving the appropriations bills needed to fund the government should be a top priority. Unfortunately, for decades Congress has repeatedly failed to get these basic tasks accomplished before the start of the federal fiscal year.

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These failures of Congress to do the work Americans expect it to accomplish have had major negative consequences. According to information just released by Sen. Joni Ernst, waste resulting from this haphazard performance may have been as much as $4 billion. Beyond that it is impossible for federal departments and agencies to operate optimally if they do not know what funding they will have before the fiscal year begins.

To try to force Congress to get its act together, the Iowa Republican has joined with two other senators — James Lankford, R-Okla. and David Perdue, R-Ga. — to introduce the No Budget, No Recess Act. The goal of this legislation is to make it impossible for Congress to take recesses and engage in other nonessential activity if they don’t get these important financial tasks completed on time.

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“Hardworking Iowans, and Americans across the country, are sick and tired of government shutdowns, continuing resolutions and massive omnibus spending bills,” Ernst said. “This dysfunctional cycle is not the way our government was designed to function or should function. If we fail to pass a budget and spending bills, we should stay in town and work together until we get the job done.”

That makes sense to us.

The Messenger applauds Ernst for sponsoring this measure. We urge its prompt adoption.

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For the full article, click here.

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