Statement on the 2013 Federal Government Shutdown

NEW YORK — Michael A. Peterson, president and chief operating officer of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, released the following statement this morning responding to the government’s shutdown, which took effect on Tuesday, October 1st:
“Shutting down the government is a disappointing and unfortunate step in the wrong direction. Government-by-crisis gets us no closer to finding a solution to the real threat to our economy: our long-term structural deficits. Congress and the President should find a way through this immediate fiscal and political chaos, which is hurting our fragile economic recovery. Once they do, they should re-commit themselves to developing a comprehensive bipartisan plan to finally put the nation on a sustainable fiscal path.”
Further Reading
Continuing Resolutions Are Stopgap Measures — But Now We Average Five a Year
While continuing resolutions can help avoid government shutdowns, they should be rarely used. However, CRs have become the norm.
What Is a Continuing Resolution?
A continuing resolution is a temporary funding measure that Congress can use to fund the federal government for a limited amount of time.
Bond Market Movements Point to Growing Fiscal Risks
As ratings agencies have serially warned, U.S. debt growth is unsustainable, and global investors appear to be weighing the risks of financing U.S. deficits more heavily.