NGA Urges Resolution to Ongoing Federal Shutdown

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Dear Leader Thune and Minority Leader Schumer and Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jeffries:

On behalf of the nation’s state, territory, county, and municipal governments, we respectfully urge you to act swiftly in the national interest to resolve the ongoing federal shutdown which is rapidly becoming a crisis for the millions of Americans we represent. We recognize the importance of principled positions on spending and policy, but an ultimate resolution must be expedited to reopen the federal government.

Unlike the federal government, states and localities cannot shut down. We must continue providing essential services to our constituents – and we rely on long-standing partnerships to fulfill those responsibilities. During a shutdown, federal responsibilities are shifted to state and local governments which is unsustainable, as state and local governments do not have the tools, resources or capacity to absorb those duties.

Due to the shutdown impasse, we are at risk in areas including economic stability, national security, disaster preparedness, food insecurity, infrastructure maintenance, the federal court system, and more. The unpredictability of the shutdown makes it impossible for state and local officials to predict when specific harmful impacts will reach our communities, hindering our ability to plan and coordinate timely and effective responses.

The reliability of the federal government, and the strength of our intergovernmental partnership are at stake. State and local officials are on the front lines of providing services and with each passing day of this shutdown, our challenges increase. History has shown that even after a shutdown ends, states and localities will feel its ripple effects for months.

On behalf of the millions of Americans we serve, we urge Congress to quickly enter bipartisan negotiations and resolve this shutdown.

Sincerely,

Bill McBride
Executive Director,
National Governors Association

Clarence E. Anthony
CEO & Executive Director,
National League of Cities

Tim Storey
CEO,
National Conference of State Legislatures

Matthew D. Chase
CEO & Executive Director,
National Association of Counties

David Adkins
Executive Director & CEO,
The Council of State Governments

Tom Cochran
CEO and Executive Director,
The United States Conference of Mayors

Julia Novak
Executive Director,
International City/County Management Association

Chris Morrill
Executive Director and CEO,
Government Finance Officers Association