Today, Marcus Hill, President of the Senior Executives Association (SEA)–representing the interests of over 10,000 career federal executives in the Senior Executive Service (SES), Senior Level (SL), Scientific and Professional (ST) and equivalent positions–released the following statement urging Congress and the White House to avert a government shutdown:
“Government shutdowns have a long lasting, devastating effects both inside and outside the government. When even part of the government shuts down, the American people experience significant delays in service delivery. The 1996 government shutdowns caused the suspension of more than 3,500 bankruptcy cases, a halt in hiring for more than 400 border patrol agents and left approximately 200,000 U.S. passport applications unprocessed,” SEA President Marcus Hill said.
“In 2014, government shutdowns left the U.S. with roughly $1 billion in lost revenue each week due to a halt in program integrity as well as roughly $7 million in lost revenue from user fees and other revenue not collected by the National Park Service. Altogether, the 2014 shutdown caused an estimated $2 to $6 billion in lost domestic economic output. Shutdowns are wasteful and damaging to the American people,” Hill continued.
“Finally, in 2019, the nation’s longest government shutdown, disrupted aviation safety oversight, caused sales slowdowns for at least 35 percent of small business owners nationwide, and left 3.8 million calls to the IRS unanswered. Overall, the level of real GDP in the first quarter of 2019 is estimated to have been $8 billion lower than it would have been without a shutdown. Time and time again, shutdowns weaken the U.S. economy and undermine taxpayer services. Congress and the White House should take every step to avoid this result,” Hill furthered.
“In addition to the negative impacts on the American people and economy, government shutdowns have a long-term destabilizing effect on the federal workforce. Employee lives are tossed into uncertainty, unsure of if and when they will receive a paycheck. Many employees are forced to work without pay, which negatively impacts morale and retention. As shutdowns become more regular, good federal employees leave government in search of more stability and strong candidates lack an incentive to enter public service,” Hill said.
“No one wins when the government shuts down. Nearly 8 of 10 voters in a recent poll said a shutdown should be avoided because it harms the economy, and 7 of 10 said a shutdown would distract from the country’s larger fiscal challenges. Further, the power of the purse is the greatest tool in Congress’s arsenal to address issues in federal programs. If Congress is as concerned about service delivery and government operations as it so often claims, funding the government adequately and on time is necessary to achieve its oversight objectives. We urge Congress and the White House to work together by all means necessary to avert a shutdown and ensure the continuity of government operations as funding negotiations continue,” Hill concluded.
