McConnell: Senate Will Vote on Short-Term Government Funding This Week
‘[O]ur Democratic colleagues have chosen to back away from the agreement we all reached just last month to ensure a smooth, bipartisan funding process. We regret that Democrats chose to block funding for the national defense — including a pay raise for our men and women in uniform — in order to pick a partisan fight with the White House. But for the sake of the country, our near-term priority is passing a temporary continuing resolution so the government can stay open while work continues.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the need to confirm more of the president’s nominees and fund the federal government:
“The Senate continues making headway in the personnel business. It’s still too bad that our Democratic colleagues continue to insist on cloture votes, floor time, and roll call votes for the kinds of uncontroversial nominees who have ordinarily travelled by voice vote for past administrations of both parties. But the Senate hasn’t been deterred by this novel campaign of systematic obstruction from our Democratic friends. We’ll keep right on getting these talented public servants on the job, where they belong.
“Later today we’ll confirm a Deputy Under Secretary of the Treasury. Then we’ll confirm an ambassador, a solicitor of a cabinet department, and a Deputy Commissioner of Social Security. And they aren’t the only nominees we’ll confirm this week. Before our work is finished this week, we will also have confirmed our next vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs and — pending the committee action of our colleagues — our next Secretary of Labor. Another group of talented professionals put to work for the American people. More of the president’s team in place.
“This week we’ll also address our responsibility to keep the federal government funded. Republicans regret that our Democratic colleagues have chosen to back away from the agreement we all reached just last month to ensure a smooth, bipartisan funding process. We regret that Democrats chose to block funding for the national defense — including a pay raise for our men and women in uniform — in order to pick a partisan fight with the White House.
“But for the sake of the country, our near-term priority is passing a temporary continuing resolution so the government can stay open while work continues. I’m glad the continuing resolution on the table earned significant bipartisan support across the Capitol and has also earned the green light from the White House. The Senate will vote on it this week. And as Chairman Shelby and Senator Leahy continue their work on regular order appropriations, I hope that the cooperation that’s surrounded this CR can carry over and that we can get the appropriations process back on track.”
Related Issues: Appropriations, America's Military, Nominations
Next Previous
