Senator Ron Johnson Calls Government Shutdown "Completely Unnecessary"

The Problem with Shutdowns

• 📌 Senator Ron Johnson argues that government shutdowns are "so completely unnecessary" and have become a routine charade.
• 📊 He highlights Congress's failure to pass appropriation bills, citing a 3.3% success rate (6 out of 180 bills passed) since 2002, leading to a massive increase in national debt from $14 trillion to $37 trillion.
• ⚠️ Johnson asserts that these showdowns do not create pressure to pass bills but rather increase pressure to spend beyond the nation's means.

The "Eliminate Shutdowns Act"

• 💡 Senator Johnson proposes the "Eliminate Shutdowns Act" as a solution to end the drama and angst associated with shutdown threats.
• 🗓️ This act would automatically trigger rolling 14-day continuing appropriations for any account not yet appropriated, removing the deadline pressure.
• 🤝 It aims to get rid of the "drama, angst, and trauma" of shutdown showdowns while still allowing appropriators to negotiate and make deals on agreed-upon matters.

Obamacare Subsidies and Fraud

• 🗣️ Johnson criticizes the Democratic push to negotiate temporary Obamacare subsidies during shutdown talks, calling it a "red herring."
• 💸 He explains that extending these subsidies would perpetuate massive fraud within the Obamacare exchanges, where millions of people are unknowingly enrolled and billions are paid to insurance companies for unused policies.
• 🚫 He states that extending these subsidies is unacceptable due to the inherent fraud and faulty design of the program.

Bipartisan Negotiations and Incentives

• 💬 Johnson expresses hope that Democrats will "come to their senses" and stop playing partisan games with people's lives and the economy.
• 📉 He believes that even without shutdown deadlines, there will always be pressure to spend more money, but holding spending flat could still lead to coalitions forming to increase spending and reach deals.
• ✅ Areas of agreement, like funding for the Veterans Administration and military construction, have seen bipartisan progress, suggesting compromises are possible on areas of disagreement.