Congress Working On Funding Agreement
‘The Senate’s work this week is not finished. Before Friday, Congress must agree on funding to sustain the necessary operations of the federal government. I know that all our colleagues on both sides of the aisle want to keep the government funded and attend to a number of other urgent priorities. I am confident we can work together to do just that. Americans are counting on us.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding government funding:
“The Senate’s work this week is not finished. Before Friday, Congress must agree on funding to sustain the necessary operations of the federal government. I know that all our colleagues on both sides of the aisle want to keep the government funded and attend to a number of other urgent priorities. I am confident we can work together to do just that. Americans are counting on us.
“To begin with, our men and women in uniform are counting on us to provide them with the resources they require to fulfill their missions and keep the country safe. The burden of the Budget Control Act has fallen disproportionately on our all-volunteer military. Under that law, defense cuts have outpaced non-defense cuts by $85 billion since fiscal year 2013.
“At the same time, the previous administration insisted that new defense spending be matched equally by new nondefense spending, notwithstanding the actual needs of our military. This week, let’s dispense with that arbitrary standard – as we did earlier this year – and provide our warfighters with the funding they need to accomplish the tasks put before them.
“Americans whose premiums are soaring or whose coverage is in jeopardy because of the failures of Obamacare are counting on us to take bipartisan steps toward stabilizing health insurance markets. The parents of the nine million children enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program are counting on us to renew the program’s funding.
“Our country’s law enforcement professionals are counting on us to renew an important foreign intelligence program that helps them defend the homeland from those who wish us harm. Veterans are counting on us to renew the popular Veterans Choice program and preserve their flexibility to access care outside the VA system.
“And, just as we have done in the past, we need to pass a routine ‘Pay-Go’ waiver to avoid a draconian sequester that none of my colleagues want to see take effect. Americans are counting on us not to inflict harmful cuts on Medicare and other essential operations. I look forward to working together in the coming days to fund our government in a manner that does right by the American people.”
Related Issues: National Security, Budget
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