Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced an agreement with House Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama on a six-month Continuing Resolution (CR) that will avoid a government shutdown while funding the government at $1.047 trillion.

“This agreement reached between the Senate, the House and the White House provides stability for the coming months, when we will have to resolve critical issues that directly affect middle class families. The funding levels in the six-month CR will correspond to the top-line funding level of $1.047 trillion. I hope that we can face the challenges ahead in the same spirit of compromise.”

The bill received bipartisan support, with twenty-six Republicans joining Democrats to approve funding through November 18th for the agency tasked with helping thousands of Americans recover from earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, floods and other natural disasters.

The bill’s passage followed the Senate rejecting a bill from House Republicans that would have shortchanged FEMA, and killed jobs. As Senate Democrats have pointed out, Congress shouldn’t have to trade off jobs to help disaster victims.

Watch video of their discussion here:

As Senator Harry Reid put it: “When our fellow Americans are in crisis, we must make sure they get the aid they need without delay, not engage in a political debate. This vote upholds that principle.”

Since the 1990s, disaster relief has rarely been handled outside of the normal budget process. For the Senate’s bipartisan agreement to come to fruition, the House must return from recess and pass the bill.

We’re making sure victims of natural disasters can continue to rebuild their lives without interruption.

Schumer Urges House GOP Leaders To Stick By Agreement, Ignore House Conservatives’ Calls To Reopen Budget Fight

Washington, D.C. – Senator Charles E. Schumer delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor Wednesday in response to reports that House Republican leaders are considering ignoring the bipartisan agreement contained in the August debt limit deal by seeking deeper cuts to next year’s budget.

Below are Schumer’s remarks, as prepared for delivery.

Floor Remarks by Senator Charles E. Schumer
FY2011 Continuing Resolution
September 14, 2011

There has been a promising new tone in Congress since our return from the summer recess. This has taken some by surprise. But even more striking than the new tone is that it has brought with it a few modest signs of a new spirit of cooperation.

The House this week has sent us a highway extension and an aviation extension that are clean. During August, there were clamors from some corners in the Republican party to mount a fight over the gas tax or insist on harmful cuts to road and bridge repair, even if these demands risked a shutdown of road construction projects.

And as recently as last Friday, Republicans were planning to insist on a five-percent cut to the FAA’s budget—a move that could well have threatened another shutdown of that agency like the one we saw in August.

But both these fears have receded. Barring a setback in the Senate, we should be able to extend both the FAA and highway measures on time and without controversy.

This is a very positive sign. There was a sour taste left in everyone’s mouths at the end of the debt ceiling debate. This has caused a change in behavior. It has brought us together.

The debt ceiling process was made unnecessarily difficult because of the extreme tactics practiced by a bloc within the House Republican caucus. The political process broke down. And the public noticed.

In the aftermath of that debate, it seems that everyone finally realizes that there is a premium on reasonableness. The public does not want to see a “may or the highway” approach from anyone anymore.

That’s why it was head-scratching earlier this week to hear a new rumor in the Capitol that the House Republican leadership might consider seeking to reopen the debt ceiling fight by disregarding the agreed-upon spending level for FY2012.

As you know, Mr. President, the deal included a top-line budget number of $1.043 trillion for the fiscal year that begins on October 1. This was a significant cut of $7 billion from the FY11 level.

This agreement was ratified by all those who voted for the final debt ceiling agreement. It was hailed as one of the better aspects of the overall debt ceiling deal because it would mean a lesser likelihood of another budget fight on September 30.

However, since this number was agreed to, some extreme Republicans have started looking to cause trouble. They have tried to say the $7 billion in cuts represented by the $1.043 trillion dollar figure should be considered a “floor, not a ceiling.”

This would be a violation not just of the spirit of the debt limit deal, but the letter of that deal.

The public will not stand for another budget fight. Republicans should understand that more brinksmanship on the budget at the end of September is not in either side’s interest.

Some in the House leadership seem to realize this. Majority Leader Cantor, in a memo sent to the House Republican caucus in August, warned against picking another budget fight on the CR.

Leader Cantor wrote: “While all of us would like to have seen a lower discretionary appropriations ceiling for the upcoming fiscal year, the debt limit agreement did set a level of spending that is a real cut from the current year level. I believe it is in our interest to enact into law full-year appropriations bills at this new lower level.”

Leader Cantor affirmed these remarks earlier this week.

I say to my Republican colleagues: A deal is a deal. I cannot imagine you would go back on the debt limit agreement, but if you are even considering it, please stop.

We already will likely need to take time next week to resolve what level of FEMA funding we should appropriate for FY2012. Early indications are that House Republicans may want to shortchange the level of funding FEMA says it needs for next year.

I can’t imagine why House Republicans would play games with disaster relief. But if they want to debate that, they should not at the same time be re-opening a budget fight that is already resolved and that nearly caused a default the first around.

We have enough debates on the docket without reopening the ones we’ve already settled.

The public is tired of these fights. And the public understands who keeps instigating them. To the House Republicans, I say: don’t go back on your word on the CR. Leader Cantor was right the first time when he said in August you should abide by the level agreed to over the summer. Stick with that decision, and let’s move on to other issues.

Thank you.

“Now that House Republicans have gotten this vote out of their system, I hope they will drop the threats of shutting down the government and work with the Senate on responsible cuts that allow our nation’s economic recovery to continue. By bringing $41 billion in cuts to the table, nearly half of the House Republican proposal, Democrats are demonstrating a good faith effort to reduce the deficit and prevent a government shut down.  It’s time for Republicans to do the same.

“Democrats believe we should make smart cuts – cuts that  target waste and excess, not slash the programs that keep us safe and keep our economy growing. By eliminating 65,000 educators and 800 border security agents, the Republican budget does not fit the bill.

“Struggling families in Nevada and across the country cannot afford the consequences of a shutdown, which could mean no Social Security checks for seniors, fewer agents on the border and no paychecks for our troops. I hope cooler heads will prevail, and Republicans will come to the table to work with Democrats on a responsible path forward that cuts spending without sacrificing more than a million jobs.”

By Lisa Lerer - Feb 17, 2011 3:16 PM ET

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Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, weighing a presidential bid next year, said she opposes raising the U.S. debt ceiling and welcomes a government shutdown in the fight over federal spending.

Speaking today to business executives and civic leaders in Woodbury, New York, Palin said Republicans shouldn’t be deterred by Democratic “scare tactics” over a possible government shutdown.

It would force President Barack Obama to work with Republicans, she said. “Not necessarily would that be a bad thing on either side.”

The U.S. debt is projected by the Treasury Department to reach its authorized ceiling of $14.3 trillion within a few months, setting the stage for a congressional showdown over lifting the borrowing limit. Also, current government funding runs out March 4 as lawmakers battle over the budget for the rest of the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

Raising the debt ceiling isn’t the answer, Palin said as she took questions from a meeting held by the Long Island Business Association, one of New York’s largest business groups.

“To me, all that’s going to do is create this allowance for more big spenders to get in there,” she said. “It’s an overstatement to say that we are even making a dent in the national debt,” she said. Obama’s “spending plan does add to the debt, and it does allow in the next 10 years, still, deficit spending.”

Obama on Feb. 14 proposed a $3.7 trillion budget for next fiscal year. Republicans said they will demand deeper cuts.

Palin said she hasn’t made up her mind about running for president in 2012. She said her decision last week to hire a chief of staff was intended to help better organize her professional life.

“To tell you the truth, Todd is getting tired of doing it all for me,” she said, referring to her husband.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-17/palin-says-shutdown-of-government-may-spark-will-to-fight-rising-u-s-debt.html

“I am disappointed that Speaker Boehner doesn’t believe he has the votes to avoid a government shutdown, unless his members get their way on all of their demands. It is unproductive to resort to threats of a shutdown without any negotiations.

“Families in Nevada and across the country are struggling. They expect us to work together to create jobs, cut spending and make our economy stronger. Democrats firmly believe that a government shutdown is not in the best interests of our country. It could send our economy back into a recession, and mean no Social Security checks for seniors, no funding for border security and no paychecks for our troops.

“We hope cooler heads will prevail, and that Speaker Boehner and his Republican colleagues will work with us on a path forward.”