Majority Leader Schumer Dear Colleague On Upcoming September Work Period
Today, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sent the following Dear Colleague letter on the need to pass bipartisan a CR in September to keep the government funded and open, as well as pursuing bipartisan legislation and continuing to work to confirm the Biden – Harris administration’s highly qualified judges and nominees. The text of the letter can be found below:
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September 8, 2024
Dear Colleague,
I hope you all had a productive and invigorating August state work period. This month has been an opportunity for us to talk directly to our constituents about the impact Senate Democrats’ agenda is having on families and communities. As we gear up for a busy September work period, I am more energized than ever about our ability to deliver meaningful results.
Throughout the coming weeks, we will continue confirming the Biden-Harris administration’s well-qualified judges and nominees, and we must pass a continuing resolution to avoid a pointless and painful government shutdown.
As everyone knows, government funding will expire on September 30th without an extension. We all know what is at stake: crucial funding for health care, infrastructure, education, food safety, veterans, border security, U.S. competitiveness and more.
Democrats support a CR to keep the government open. As I have said before, the only way to get things done is in a bipartisan way. Despite Republican bluster, that is how we’ve handled every funding bill in the past, and this time should be no exception. We will not let poison pills or Republican extremism put funding for critical programs at risk.
Despite the closely divided Senate, I am proud of the accomplishments we have been able to achieve this Congress. I have always said my first choice is for the Senate to work in a bipartisan way to get things done for the American people. Time and again, we’ve sought compromise and have been able to pass meaningful legislation to prevent a shutdown and avoid default, reauthorize FISA and FAA, provide funding for our friends in Ukraine, provide resources to our allies in Israel and ensure humanitarian aid reaches innocent civilians in Gaza. We’ve secured vital disaster relief funding, passed legislation to protect kids safety online and more. I am urging House Republicans to take up the Senate passed KOSA and COPPA 2.0 bill and send it to President Biden to sign into law.
In the remaining months of this Congress, we can continue this momentum in even more key policy areas, but of course we will need republican cooperation. There are still opportunities for bipartisan cooperation on NDAA, rail safety, lowering the cost of insulin and prescription drugs, and artificial intelligence, among others. While we won’t be able to achieve all of these goals before the election, it is my hope that our Republican colleagues will work with us to make as much progress as possible.
Finding compromise is never easy, but we know it is the only path to achieving results for the American people. Our caucus unity has been the key to our success, so I want to thank each of you for all your work to find compromise whenever possible.
We have more work to do this year, and I look forward to returning to the Senate this week to build on our accomplishments.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
Democratic Senate Majority Leader
