The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) issued a strong critique on Wednesday after reports emerged that the United States’ longest government shutdown may be coming to an end. Maya MacGuineas, the organization’s president, said the political impasse “accomplished nothing and caused significant harm to many individuals, not to mention our reputation around the world.”
MacGuineas criticized both parties in Congress, arguing that “policymakers gave new meaning to fiscal irresponsibility.” She highlighted that the previous standoff centered around $1.5 trillion in health-care subsidies contributing to increased deficits, while the current reopening package enables what the CRFB estimates as $3.4 trillion in new borrowing by wiping the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) scorecard — a mechanism the group strongly supports.
“Lawmakers should stop papering over their fiscal recklessness and face the tough decisions head-on,” she urged. “Or at the very least, follow their own rules.”
The breakthrough came when the Senate passed an amended version of a Continuing Resolution (CR) on November 10. The House is expected to consider the CR-Minibus appropriations bill next. The measure would provide full-year appropriations for Agriculture, the Legislative Branch, and Military Construction–Veterans Affairs, while temporarily continuing current funding for the other spending bills.
Despite the imminent government reopening, the CRFB warns that the financial consequences are severe. The group denounced the agreement as “massive fiscal negligence” that fails to address deeper structural issues.
The watchdog emphasized that the country’s financial situation remains precarious, describing the current fiscal trajectory as “increasingly unsustainable.” The Congressional Budget Office estimates the federal government ran a $1.8 trillion deficit between November 2024 and October 2025. Meanwhile, the national debt is now approaching 100% of the nation’s gross domestic product.
While the shutdown may end soon, Congress still faces a January deadline to pass nine additional appropriations bills to complete funding for the current fiscal year. Lawmakers are being warned to avoid further debt increases and to restore strong spending caps that enforce budgetary discipline.
Any short-term extensions, according to the CRFB, must be equally responsible. The group argues the next package should include reforms and offsets that ensure it is “fully paid for — ideally twice over in accordance with Super PAYGO, given how bad things have gotten.”
“It’s hard to imagine the bar for dysfunctional government getting any lower than it is right now,” the CRFB concluded, calling on both parties to act quickly to reopen the government responsibly, reduce the debt, and pursue durable reforms to bring down health-care costs.
