Senator Murray: “Now is not the time to pat ourselves on the back. It is time to roll up our sleeves and pass supplemental funding to address urgent global challenges and critical priorities here at home.”
Senator Murray: “We can only get spending bills done if we are all on the same page when it comes to the topline numbers. The good news is that this is already a settled matter, because we actually passed bipartisan toplines in the debt limit deal that House Republicans and the President negotiated—a deal that Speaker Johnson voted for.”
***WATCH: Senator Murray’s remarks***
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, spoke on the Senate floor about next steps for appropriations ahead of the Senate voting on the House-passed continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown at the end of the week.
Senator Murray’s full remarks, as delivered, are below:
“Thank you, M. President. I will vote for this bill to avoid a senseless shutdown, although I don’t care for this idea of two funding deadlines and double the shutdown risk.
“But the big picture I am focused on right now is what happens next.
“Because avoiding a shutdown is so very far from mission accomplished.
“We have a lot of work to do after the dust settles and before the next shutdown deadline comes up.
“Now is not the time to pat ourselves on the back—it is time to roll up our sleeves and pass supplemental funding to address urgent global challenges and critical priorities here at home.
“Our leadership is on the line—and with it, the security of our allies and our nation. We cannot do half of our job here.
“We need a supplemental that fully addresses the challenges in Ukraine, Israel, humanitarian aid, and the Indo-Pacific.
“And enough with pitting American families against America’s global leadership.
“We need to tackle the child care crisis and other urgent domestic priorities just as we address urgent national security priorities.
“We are the United States of America—we can and must do both.
“On that note, let me just say this: failing to fully fund WIC for the first time ever is not an acceptable outcome to me under any circumstances.
“Now, turning to the year ahead: if we don’t want to be right back here in a few weeks, facing a one-two punch shutdown threat, we need all of us to get serious about our full-year spending bills!
“So, I have an important message for Speaker Johnson and House Republicans: we can only get these spending bills done if we are all on the same page when it comes to the topline numbers.
“The good news is that this is already a settled matter because we actually passed bipartisan toplines in the debt limit deal that House Republicans and the President negotiated—a deal that Speaker Johnson voted for—along with so many other members on both sides of the aisle, in both chambers.
“So let’s be clear: the negotiating has already happened—House Republicans just need to stick to their word and what they helped pass into law.
“And while I am glad to see the Speaker abandon tying cuts or extreme policies to a CR, he will also need to do that for our annual bills if we are going to be able to conference any of them.
“Because if we can’t get back to the toplines that this Congress has agreed to, we are not going to get anywhere. It’s that simple.
“We have to work together. We have to keep our word.
“We have to compromise and that means: listening to the other side, making some tough decisions, leaving out partisan nonstarters, and writing a bill that can actually pass into law—that is going to actually make a difference for the folks back home.
“That’s exactly how Vice Chair Collins and I have been able to work with members across the political spectrum to craft twelve bipartisan spending bills.
“So let’s get to work and end the threat of a government shutdown, and get the full-year funding our nation needs signed into law. Thank you.”
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