ICYMI FROM LAST WEEK: Senator Murray Rips House GOP CR as Dangerous and Derelict, Urges Responsible Bipartisan Path Forward
ICYMI: White House Fact Sheet on House GOP CR
***VIDEO of Senator Murray’s Remarks***
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, once again joined Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) at Senate Democrats’ weekly leadership press conference to outline exactly why the partisan House Republican Continuing Resolution is dangerous and damaging to American interests and specifically made a point of urging House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to work with the other three corners of Congress to fund government in a bipartisan and responsible way.
“The time has come for Speaker Johnson to take a good look in the mirror and ask himself—does he want to let MAGA-Republicans lead him into a shutdown?” said Senator Murray. “Who leads the House—is it him or is it the House Freedom Caucus? Because right now, he is taking orders from MAGA-Republicans who don’t care if we have a shutdown and Donald Trump who has made clear he wants a shutdown.”
“America is tired of the constant Trump-driven chaos,” continued Senator Murray. “My message to Speaker Johnson, and to any Republicans who are serious about governing—you do not have to let a few extreme House members set the agenda. You do not have to let Donald Trump call the shots. There is an off ramp right in front of you—one you have taken before. One you should know by now actually works: bipartisanship.”
House Republicans had originally planned on voting on their six-month partisan CR last week, until it was pulled from consideration—they have since announced their intentions to hold a vote on the legislation this Wednesday. The six-month House Republican CR would force federal agencies to operate under last year’s spending bills until March. Notably, the House Republican CR would also push government spending decisions right up against the April deadline to complete full-year bills before indiscriminate sequestration cuts would go into effect across the entire federal government, including the military. House Republicans’ CR also fails to extend important federal health care programs like community health centers, it would allow vital programs that protect our border and our economy like E-Verify and H2B visas to lapse, and it would fail to extend the Farm Bill policies farmers across the country are relying on. The partisan House Republican CR also fails to provide adequate funding to ensure the necessary amount of disaster relief during hurricane season.
Senator Murray’s full remarks as delivered are below:
“The time has come for Speaker Johnson to take a good look in the mirror and ask himself—does he want to let MAGA-Republicans lead him into a shutdown? Who leads the House—is it him or is it the House Freedom Caucus? Because right now, it appears he is taking orders from MAGA-Republicans who don’t care if we have a shutdown and Donald Trump who has made clear he WANTS a shutdown.
“And he is proposing a bill that first off—he can’t even get through the House, and second off—he has a flat zero percent chance of passing the Senate.
“And that’s because his bill would leave countless programs—including our military—stuck in limbo for half a year and it includes a massive poison pill that is the very definition of a nonstarter.
“That’s where Speaker Johnson is at. And right now, he is saying he doesn’t have a back up plan and he is saying “no” to bipartisan compromise. What does he think is going to happen?
“If Speaker Johnson keeps following the loudest voices on the farthest right: the people who—again—do not give a hoot if they shut down the government and hurt families—because they think it might help Donald Trump. Where does he think they are going to lead him?
“Because every time so far, they have walked him out onto an extreme partisan limb, and then tried to saw it off under his feet.
“America is tired of the constant Trump-driven chaos. My message to Speaker Johnson, and to any Republicans who are serious about governing—you do not have to let a few extreme House members set the agenda. You do not have to let Donald Trump call the shots.
“There is an off ramp right in front of you—one you have taken before. One you should know by now actually works: bipartisanship.
“It’s not rocket science. It is not unprecedented. It’s actually pretty simple: put partisan policies—the MAGA wish list—aside and hammer out a bill with the other three corners of Congress that does the responsible, essential work of keeping the government open, and keeping programs families rely on up and running.
“Governing is not always easy—no question—but when Speaker Johnson chooses to be a MAGA figurehead, instead of an actual leader focused on problem solving, when he chooses to listen to people who frankly are OK with, or actually WANT, a government shutdown—he is only making it harder on himself.
‘So, here’s my message: I hope the Speaker and House Republicans will end these theatrics, stop steering toward a shutdown, and work with us to chart a bipartisan course forward—clock’s ticking.”
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