The Professional Services Council and the National Defense Industrial Association have called on congressional leaders through a joint letter to prevent a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution and to speed up passage of the defense appropriations bill and the other 11 appropriations measures for fiscal year 2024.
In the letter dated Thursday, NDIA President and CEO David Norquist and PSC President and CEO David Berteau wrote that the defense industrial base is already facing supply chain, inflation and workforce challenges and that funding disruptions from a shutdown or stopgap measures would be hard on technology startups, small businesses and middle-tier companies.
“Uncertainty around funding and delays in getting paid, either due to a complete government shutdown or short-term CR, would affect companies’ ability to sustain cash flow and pay their employees,” Berteau said in a statement.
“Unlike federal employees, furloughed contractors do not receive back pay. Start-up companies and small and mid-size businesses in particular would feel the pain of what is an avoidable situation,” he added.
According to the two associations, the defense industrial base employs approximately 1.1 million Americans and small businesses account for 73 percent of DIB companies.
The trade groups also highlighted the importance of full-year appropriations measures in supporting the missions of the Department of Defense and other agencies and expressed their commitment to working with Congress on the matter.
Berteau and Norquist are both two-time Wash100 Award recipients.
