Governors Share Federal Funding Concerns to House Speaker

NGA Chair Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Vice Chair Colorado Governor Jared Polis wrote a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson urging the House and Senate to work together to ensure a government funding bill is signed into law prior to the November 17 deadline.

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Dear Speaker Mike Johnson,

Congratulations on your elevation to Speaker of the House. We appreciate your expressed desire to work with members of both parties to find common ground and improve policy for the American people. As Chair and Vice Chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), we look forward to partnering with you on critical issues facing our country.  As policy innovators and chief executives for our states/ territories, Governors value having the opportunity to engage with leaders from both parties across government, and especially Congress.  

With federal funding expiring on November 17, we urge the House and Senate to work together responsibly and with all due speed to ensure a government funding bill is signed into law prior to the deadline, making certain that agency operations continue to support states and territories.

The uncertainty in funding for our states and territories and the looming threat of a federal government shutdown cause unnecessary hardships and risk. A government shutdown jeopardizes the country’s national security and undermines our support for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, and hurts the readiness of our National Guard members. It also jeopardizes public health and social services, economic growth of states, transportation systems, and access to National Parks and public lands.

Congress has the ability to stop these potential impacts to our states and territories, while continuing to work towards a longer-term funding solution.

Beyond funding discussions, we encourage you to work closely with Governors on the many policies that impact our states and territories and on which we can offer valuable expertise.           

We look forward to working together on key legislative priorities for the 118^th Congress. 

Sincerely,