We call on the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives to pass the ACR Gridlock Override Amendment, a bipartisan reform that would permanently end government shutdowns, protect federal workers, and restore public trust in government. Every time Congress fails to agree on a budget, real people pay the price. More than 700,000 federal workers go without pay, including the men and women who secure our borders, inspect our food, and protect national security. Millions more contractors lose income they cannot recover. Families skip mortgage payments, veterans face delays in care, and small businesses that depend on federal contracts are forced to shut their doors. A government shutdown does not just hurt Washington; it hurts America.

Since 1980, the United States has endured about twenty shutdowns. The last major one cost our economy roughly 11 billion dollars, and the current crisis has been estimated at up to 15 billion dollars a week in lost productivity and delayed services. Beyond the dollars, every shutdown weakens national security and public trust. Intelligence and defense agencies are forced to delay operations while employees with active security clearances work unpaid, raising serious readiness and clearance risks. During the 2018 to 2019 shutdown, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned that the loss of pay for cleared personnel posed unacceptable national security implications.

Public confidence in the federal government is now near a historic low, with only about one in five Americans saying they trust Washington to do the right thing most of the time, down from nearly sixty percent in the 1970s. Each shutdown chips away at that trust and makes the country less stable, less secure, and less united. Enough is enough. We should not have to relive this every few years while families lose paychecks and leaders point fingers.

We can stop the shutdown cycle for good with a safeguard called the ACR Gridlock Override Amendment. This proposal contains two simple, connected parts that protect workers and keep the country running.

Part One: The Automatic Continuing Resolution (ACR)

When Congress fails to pass a new budget by the fiscal deadline, the ACR would automatically continue government funding at the previous year’s levels. This prevents furloughs, guarantees that federal workers and military members continue receiving paychecks, and ensures that critical services such as air traffic control, veterans’ benefits, and food inspection remain active. The ACR keeps the government operating while lawmakers continue to negotiate. 

Part Two: The Gridlock Override

If Congress remains deadlocked for 30 days after the budget deadline, a national Gridlock Override Vote would be triggered. At that point, citizens would choose which of three funding paths moves forward:

1. The House-passed budget,

2. The Senate-passed budget, or

3. A clean one-year continuing resolution that maintains current funding levels.

This vote would not replace Congress but would act as a democratic safeguard that ends the stalemate and ensures government stability. To promote accountability, congressional pay and campaign fundraising would be frozen during any funding impasse. The ACR Gridlock Override would guarantee that the United States government never shuts down again. It keeps federal workers paid, prevents disruption to essential services, and reminds elected leaders that they serve the people, not political agendas. Every day this continues, families, service members, and small businesses suffer. Let us keep America running. Add your name and tell Congress: no more shutdowns, no more excuses, and no more holding the country hostage. 

I have seen firsthand how government shutdowns ripple far beyond Washington. Families miss paychecks, small businesses lose contracts, and national security takes a back seat to political games. Public service should never be used as leverage. We can disagree on policy, but we should all agree that America’s government should never grind to a halt because of politics. I am tired of watching hardworking people carry the burden while Congress plays chicken with the nation’s stability. That is why I am fighting for the ACR Gridlock Override. America deserves a government that works even when politicians do not.

Join me in this cause and add your voice to demand a government that never shuts down again. Together, we can keep America running and restore trust in the system that serves us all.