Republicans Rely on Democrats to Govern

Press Release

"Once again, Democrats have saved the country from Republican chaos. We cannot forget how we got to this place: House Republicans wasted the current stopgap bill overthrowing their own Speaker and pushing partisan funding measures that took us further from a final agreement. Despite the bill's flaws, we have a responsibility to avoid a shutdown. I ultimately voted in favor of this this bill to keep the government functioning while we wait for House Republicans to decide to govern and join House Democrats and Senate Democrats and Republicans to negotiate final full-year funding bills. We must immediately engage in conference discussions.

Government funding--running the programs and implementing the policies that help Americans--should not be about political parties. By design, it cannot be. Last year, House Democrats knew we had a slim majority, but we did not want to govern from one continuing resolution to another. Our bills needed bipartisan, bicameral support, and we achieved that.

This year is no different. By failing multiple times, House Republicans have proven they cannot pass their extreme bills that work to make abortion illegal nationally, eliminate public education, disarm Americans in the face of the climate crisis, and make sure billionaires and tax cheats escape paying taxes. So, if what has been reported is true, and Speaker Johnson is done with short-term continuing resolutions, then let us be done with them. End the top-down and far-right approach that has guided this year's funding process and let appropriators finally start negotiating.

Continuing to waste time only hurts the American people. I have been ready to negotiate since the bipartisan budget agreement that outlined the path forward was passed. I urge House Republican leadership to not wait until days before a shutdown to focus on government funding again. We must start negotiating now if we want to avoid another continuing resolution.

I am calling for a meeting of the four corners of the Appropriations Committee to begin a good-faith conference process."

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