Rehberg Votes to Avoid Shutdown & Responds to President's Veto Threat

Press Release

Montana's Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today voted in favor of yet another short-term plan to fund the government and avoid a costly shutdown. Funding for fiscal year 2011 was supposed to have been passed by October 1, 2010. The House passed a bill to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year on February 19. If the Senate and White House continue their legislative filibuster, the government will shut down at midnight on Friday.

"This is the last best chance we have to avert a government shutdown that will hurt thousands of Montanans. A shutdown means a small business doesn't get a loan it needs to hire a new worker. A shutdown means a home sale misses a critical deadline. We've got to work to reduce the size and cost of our government, but we don't need to completely shut it down to do that. I hope the Senate will pull out the cots and get to work to pass this bill."

Rehberg also released the following statement in response to the President's intent to veto the bill which funds our troops and delays a federal government shutdown. In the absence of a Senate funding bill -- which was due by October 1 of last year -- his threat makes a federal government shutdown more likely.

"When Republicans say no to various bills, we always offer an alternative. After failing to do its job to prevent a shutdown for more than six months, the Senate and the White House are just saying no. They don't have an alternative. They don't even give a reason for saying no. This isn't a game of chicken -- you need two cars for that."

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