Senator Murray Votes No on Short-Term Spending Bill: “Families Deserve Better”

After spending most of year either trying to take families’ health care away, or jamming through tax cuts for the wealthy, Republicans punt spending bill into 2018 without addressing critical issues

Senator Murray calls on Republicans to pass DREAM Act, permanently fund CHIP, community health center and special diabetes programs “without any further delay” in the new year

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement after voting ‘no’ on a short-term continuing resolution to punt a spending deal into mid-January.

“I voted no because I want to be crystal clear: families deserve better. The Republican-led Congress used the vast majority of the year trying to take away health care from millions of Americans and jamming through tax cuts for the rich, while leaving middle class priorities on the backburner. Now, Republicans are leaving people nationwide uncertain about everything from whether they can stay in the only country they’ve ever known as home, to whether their children will have health care in a few months. This is no way to govern.

“Right now, nearly 800,000 young men and women’s futures are in limbo—and they have already waited for far too long for Republican leadership to let us vote on a legislative fix for the DACA program and clean up this Trump-inflicted mess.

“Parents across the country are reading headlines about their children’s health care being cut off, and they’re desperately asking this Republican-controlled Congress to do the right thing. So are people who rely on community health centers and other sources of affordable primary care where funding is drying up because of inaction here in Washington, D.C. And I am deeply concerned about the impact severe, misguided cuts to public health and prevention included in this stopgap bill will have as we work to tackle crises like the opioid epidemic.

“This is no way to run the government and no way to treat people who are looking to Congress for solutions, not dysfunction and uncertainty, and I plan on doing everything I can to make sure this Republican-controlled Congress does its job for our young people and families without any further delay.”