Rubio: Democrat Obstruction on Funding Bills Puts Government on Track for Shutdown

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, issued the following statement after Senate Democrats voted against proceeding to the House-passed minibus, which will serve as the vehicle to fund various agencies within the federal government, including the Department of Defense:

"Time and again, we've heard my Democratic colleagues decry government shutdowns, yet their partisan obstruction today puts us squarely on that path," Rubio said. "The defense funding bill that we passed out of our committee continues to advance vital priorities for our national defense, makes the necessary investment to widen the gap between the United States and China or Russia, and includes a pay raise for our brave servicemembers."

Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY2020 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill and the FY2020 Department of Defense Appropriations bill, both of which include key provisions advanced by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).

Importantly, the Energy and Water Development funding bill includes the full $200 million for Everglades restoration in President Trump's updated budget request. Rubio has made accelerating progress towards restoring the Everglades a major initiative of his second term and earlier this year, he urged President Trump to double the annual federal funding allocated to this critical Florida priority.

The Defense bill includes important funding to continue recovery efforts at Tyndall Air Force Base as a result of Hurricane Michael as well as a provision encouraging the Department of Defense to provide the Bahamas with humanitarian and disaster relief support.

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