Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks Urging Speaker Johnson To Work On A Bipartisan Basis To Avoid A Harmful Government Shutdown
Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor about the need to pass a bipartisan CR and keep the government funded and avoid a government shutdown.. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
The clock is ticking for Congress to reach an agreement to keep the government open beyond the September 30th deadline. That’s 13 days away.
At this point in the process, the only way we can prevent a harmful government shutdown is by both sides working together to reach a bipartisan agreement. That’s the only way.
Speaker Johnson is reportedly going to hold a vote on his six-month CR tomorrow, but the only thing that will accomplish is make clear that he’s running into a dead end – we must have a bipartisan – a bipartisan – plan instead.
Now, I will say this: for all its faults, I am heartened that Speaker Johnson’s plan preserves the essence of the Schumer-Johnson agreement that set topline funding levels for FY2024. It’s encouraging to see that Speaker Johnson, at least for now, is resisting the hard-right voices in his party and not pushing for across-the-board cuts that would be so harmful to the American people.
I hope it’s a sign that the Speaker realizes that these bipartisan funding levels must be part of any solution moving forward. But beyond that, the Speaker’s CR is too unworkable.
I urge him to drop his current plan, and to work together to reach a bipartisan agreement with the other leaders – Leader McConnell, Leader Jeffries, and myself, as well as the White House. We do not have time to spare.
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