Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Need To Approve Legislation To Fund The Government By The End Of The Week

Washington, D.C. –  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding the need to approve legislation this week to pass a Continuing Resolution to avoid a government shutdown and allow appropriators time to deliver a yearlong spending agreement. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Before the end of the week the Senate must come to an agreement to pass a short-term extension of government funding, in order to give appropriators more time to complete a year-long omnibus. It’s the most responsible thing we can do to support our appropriators as they continue their bipartisan work to finish an omnibus.

No one, and certainly not my Republican colleagues, wants a Republican government shutdown, so I’m hopeful they will cooperate with us to pass this necessary CR, which every single Democrat wants to happen and will cooperate to make sure that it happens.

Once again I thank Chairman Leahy and Ranking Member Shelby for their leadership and for working in good faith to arrive at a yearlong spending agreement.

I also commend my colleagues in the House — Chairman DeLauro and Ranking Member Granger, Democrat and Republican, — for their work.

A yearlong omnibus is a thousand times better than relying on CRs, Continuing Resolutions, to lurch from one short-term extension to the next. I remain optimistic that both sides will keep working together on drafting legislation to fund the government so it can fully serve the American people, while keep us safe here at home.

And in the meantime, both sides should come to an agreement to make sure the CR, the continuing resolution, the short-term funding of the government, is passed by this chamber and avoid even a hint of a government shutdown.

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