Taxes and Budget

Preventing government shutdowns

18 public statements from 2026 candidates · 4 related bills

§1The range of views

Why this matters: Shutdowns can halt services and delay paychecks for government workers, and funding deadlines are also a source of leverage in budget negotiations.

Drafted by AI, then checked for neutral wording in a separate AI review. It describes the question and the main positions, not any candidate's view. Facts link to their sources.

Whether federal programs should keep getting money automatically when Congress misses its deadline to pass yearly funding, after federal funding lapsed from October 1 to November 12, 2025, and lapsed again for parts of the government in 2026, for the Department of Homeland Security from mid-February until April 30.1,2,3

  1. Keep funding agencies automatically at the prior year's levels when Congress misses a deadline
  2. Keep funding automatically, but add pressure on lawmakers to finish, such as limits on travel or other business until they do
  3. Keep current law, under which a funding lapse shuts down much of the government

These options describe policies, not people. The order is not a ranking.

§2What candidates have said

Why this matters: Statements candidates made publicly, summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Candidates who haven't spoken publicly on this issue aren't listed.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Keep funding agencies automatically at the prior year's levels when Congress misses a deadline (1)

  • Gordon Heslop LA-4
    His campaign website says federal government shutdowns should not occur, and proposes a law that approves government funding to continue at existing levels until Congress approves new funding.4

Statements that don't match one option (17)

  • Jeff Frese CA-10
    His campaign website calls for withholding pay from members of Congress when there is no budget.5
  • Jessica Killin CO-5
    Her campaign website says members of Congress should not be paid during a government shutdown.6,7
  • Leela Gray FL-13
    Her campaign website says officials' pay should be suspended during government shutdowns.8
  • Michael J. Quirk FL-17
    His campaign website says that if Congress misses its budget deadline, member paychecks should stop until the job is done.9
  • Kevin E. Martin GA-6
    His campaign website says Congress should pass a budget through regular order rather than a continuing resolution, a last-minute omnibus bill or a midnight vote to avoid a shutdown.10
  • Shawn Harris GA-14
    His campaign website says he would make SNAP part of mandatory spending so that payments continue during a government shutdown, and make Head Start an essential service protected from shutdowns.11,12
  • Josh Turek IA Senate
    His campaign website says members of Congress should have their pay suspended and travel banned during a government shutdown.13
  • Adam Hamilton KS Senate
    His campaign website says members of Congress should not receive their pay during a government shutdown.14
  • Tia LeBrun LA-3
    Her campaign website's Policy Plans page lists ending pay for Congress during government shutdowns.15
  • Adrian Boafo MD-5
    His campaign website says he would stop government shutdowns and budget cuts that hurt the local economy.16
  • Chris Chaffee MD-5
    His campaign website says budget shortfalls and shutdowns should never happen, that legislators responsible for passing the budget should have their pay stopped if the funding is not in place, and that homeland security should be fully funded.17
  • Jake Johnson MN-1
    His campaign website says members of Congress should not be paid when the government is shut down.18,19
  • Alani Bankhead MT Senate
    Her campaign website says members of Congress should have their pay held in escrow whenever Congress fails to pass its budget and spending bills on time.20
  • Seth Bodnar MT Senate
    His campaign website says congressional pay should be suspended, and the Senate kept in session, whenever the government is shut down.21
  • Aaron Flint MT-1
    His campaign website lists withholding pay from politicians when there is no budget, and during a government shutdown, among the steps in his plan to clean up Washington.22
  • Brinker Harding NE-2
    His campaign website says he wants to halt congressional salaries during government shutdowns.23
  • Lily Tang Williams NH-2
    Her campaign website calls for ending funding by continuing resolutions and requiring on-time, full-year budgets, which it says would end the cycle of last-minute crises and shutdown threats.24

§3Related bills

Why this matters: Bills from 2023–2026 that bear on this issue, with how Congress handled them.