McConnell on Framework for Full-Year Funding: “The Hard Work Can Finally Start”
‘Funding defense is a basic, bipartisan duty of government — not something that earns Democrats special treats… If a truly bipartisan full-year bill without poison pills is ready for final Senate passage by late next week, I’ll support it for our Armed Forces. Otherwise, we’ll be passing a short-term continuing resolution into the new year.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding government funding:
“Today is December the 14th. Senate Republicans have spent months — literally months — begging our Democratic colleagues to stop fiddling with partisan nonsense and focus on two core things: The NDAA and government funding.
“I have been talking about the need for a strong National Defense Authorization Act all year long. I’m glad we are finally going to wrap up that basic governing duty in the next few days.
“With respect to government funding: I was glad to hear Senator Shelby announce yesterday evening that negotiators have reached a bipartisan, bicameral framework for a full-year government funding bill. Long-term continuing resolutions cheat our Armed Forces out of the resources and the certainty that our commanders and civilian leaders need to keep modernizing our forces, investing in crucial weapons, and outcompeting adversaries such as China.
“I am glad that our Democratic colleagues finally accepted reality and conceded to the Republican position that we need to prioritize our national security. Republicans simply were not going to lavish extra liberal spending on the Commander-in-Chief’s own party as a reward for adequately funding the national defense. It wasn’t going to happen.
“Funding defense is a basic, bipartisan duty of government — not something that earns Democrats special treats.
“As Senator Shelby stated last night, this framework agreement doesn’t mean the hard work is over; it means the hard work can finally start. It will take seriousness and good faith on both sides to produce actual legislation that follows this framework. Poison pills, especially far-left demands to overturn longstanding and commonsense policy riders, will need to stay far away from this process.
“And even then, the calendar will still make this a challenging sprint. Our side has made it clear that the Senate has until December 22nd to complete either a full-year funding bill or a short-term C.R. into early next year. That is the deadline, and those are the two options.
“If a truly bipartisan full-year bill without poison pills is ready for final Senate passage by late next week, I’ll support it for our Armed Forces. Otherwise, we’ll be passing a short-term continuing resolution into the new year.”
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Related Issues: Senate Democrats, NDAA, America's Military, Appropriations
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