Senate Democrats Block Vote On Clean Legislation To Keep Government Funded
'If Democrats will let us, we could take a bipartisan step tonight toward guaranteeing there’ll be no government shutdown. If the Democratic Leader lets us, the Senate could advance government funding legislation with a big bipartisan vote tonight.'
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding government funding legislation:
“The Democratic Leader has scheduled a vote today that he knows will fail. For more than two months, since July, Republicans have been clear about where we stand:
“We are willing to work together to keep government open.
“We are not willing to help Democrats raise the debt ceiling while they write a reckless taxing and spending spree of historic proportions behind closed doors.
“Democrats control the entire government — the Senate, the House, and the White House. They intend to sideline Republicans and go it alone to slam American families with historic tax hikes and borrowing.
“So they will need to raise the debt limit on a partisan basis as well. And they’ve known that for months now.
“Just like then-Senator Biden and Senator Schumer voted ‘no’ on a debt limit increase and made a unified Republican government handle it alone in the early 2000s. This has happened before.
“Earlier this year, Senate Democrats requested and won additional flexibility to make policy on party lines. They have every tool they need to do their job.
“The Democratic Leader, the Speaker of the House, and the President of the United States have had 10 weeks to plan for funding the government and addressing the debt limit.
“There never had to be one ounce of drama to any of this.
“Any drama here is self-created by Democrats.
“Republicans continue to try to help our Democratic friends avoid multiple new crises of their own making.
“On the debt limit, Democrats have all the time and all the tools to do what they have to do. And I have explained in detail how they need to proceed.
“Because Democrats ignored our warning back in July, they must amend their previous budget resolution with debt limit instructions and proceed through a fast-track process.
“On the more urgent issue, government funding, Sen. Shelby and I have a clean C.R. that could pass today.
“Our bill tracks with bipartisan talks. It would keep government open, fund disaster relief for Louisiana, and fund defensive assistance for our ally Israel and their Iron Dome. And it drops the debt limit language that Democrats have known is a non-starter for more than two months.
“The Senate could advance this bill tonight.
“If Democrats will let us, we could take a bipartisan step tonight toward guaranteeing there’ll be no government shutdown. If the Democratic Leader lets us, the Senate could advance government funding legislation with a big bipartisan vote tonight.
“The House Democratic Majority Leader has said they will take up whatever C.R. the Senate sends them. The House is ready. Senate Republicans are ready. The only hold-out is the Senate Democratic Leader and his partisan tactics.
“In just a moment, I will ask consent that Democrats forget about the vote they know will fail, and instead let the Senate vote on a bill that can actually pass.
“It is up to the Democrats. We can either move this legislation forward this evening, or we can have a show vote which they know will fail and inch closer toward another crisis of their own making.”
Related Issues: Appropriations, Senate Democrats
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